Untangling Violet
by the-compulsive-tea-drinker
Summary: Will is used to being the joker of the family. But he is slipping. Keeping up the charade of indifference is hard to maintain, and he desperately needs his soulfinder. Violet doesn't know she has a soulfinder. She doesn't know she is a savant. She believes she is evil. They are leading very different lives, but are closer than you'd believe. But she may be hard to claim.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. This is my first fan fiction and so I hope you like it. Please review. I will try and update regularly.**

**Enjoy!**

The woman turns and gasps. Her eyes lock onto the man who has been walking behind her. The little girl who has been holding her hand, as they trailed through the paved streets, tightens her grasp.

The woman frowns and shakes her off, before running to the man. His arms encircle her and she rests her head against his shoulder,

"Finally," she breathes. "I've found you"

He smiles and they turn and begin to walk back down the street.

The little girl watches their retreating backs, disappearing down the canal lined streets of Amsterdam. With a quivering lip she follows them, forgotten.


	2. Chapter 2

**I hoped you liked the first chapter. Here is the next one.**

**Disclaimer: Do I own Finding Sky? Ah-no.**

Will

I stood, in between Uriel and Victor, waving my newly married brother and his soulfinder Diamond off. As they turned the corner, I saw Trace plant a kiss on Diamond 's head. Wincing slightly, I turned away. Uriel, solid and comforting, patted my shoulder, sharing in my desperation.

Xav bumped his hip against Crystals. "Right then Darlin'. Your time to shine Cupcake."

She turned a bright fuchsia and elbowed him in the ribs. "Xav!" she hissed.

Zed laughed. "By that rather cryptic exchange, I am guessing Crystal is intending to reveal the soulfinders for Will, Vic and Uriel?"

Crystal shifted her weight onto her other foot, and gave Xav a quick glance. "Yeah, sorta. Look everyone in. I'll explain then." And then grabbing her soulfinders arm, she marched inside.

Uriel and I exchanged looks. As my family began to follow them, I trailed inside. I had been waiting to find my soulfinder for what seemed like forever, but now I was uncertain. What if she didn't exist, was dead. What if I watched my brothers one by one find their soulfinders, knowing I would never find mine?

Sky's head popped back around the door. "Come ON Will. Everyone's waiting." Speeding up, I followed the sound of her light footsteps, hurried and fast. Counting the number of seconds she was parted from her soulfinder.

Entering the living room, I could see everyone in a circle looking at Crystal, seated next to Xav. Looking up, Crystal beamed when she saw me.

"Will. Come sit down." She pushed Xav along and shuffled round, leaving a place for me.

When I sat down, Crystal began to talk. "Okay. So you all know I am a soulseeker, yes?" When we had all mumbled our assents she continued. "Sooo basically, I think I can find Will Uriel and Victor's soulfinders. But the thing is I am new at this and I don't want to get it wrong. I want to be really good at this, so I can really help people." I could see Victor shift, uncomfortable with where this was going. Was she saying she wasn't going to find our soulfinders? I realised Crystal was still talking.

"So I thought maybe I could do you one at a time, you know? Like find one soulfinder and then move onto the next?" She stopped speaking and looked at us, biting her lip.

Phee smiled at her. "Great idea Crystal. Then if one of the soulfinders is in trouble, like me-"

"-Or me." Sky interjected.

"Then we can focus all our attention on them before moving on."

"Yeah," said Uriel chiming in, "that's a great idea." One by one, my family added their approval.

"Will?" Crystal asked tentatively, "What do you think?"

I smiled at her. "It sounds great. You are a very wise lady." I gave her a little bow.

Xav laughed, " Okay, I'm going to stop you all now, before Crystal's head explodes." She laughed and hit him.

"Okay, everyone shut up. Look. We have to start with somebody." Victor and Uriel visibly straightened. I also sat up taller.

"I think we should start with Will." I gaped at her. "Huh?"

I had not expected to go first, with Uriel being the oldest, and Victor so intimidating. Sky beamed at me across the circle, and hugged Zed.

Crstal continued. "Looking at all of you, Will seems the easiest to find, uh, in a smaller area." Xav laughed softly.

Victor cut in, "Wait- looking at all of us?..."

Xav grinned. "We may have had a little peek at the wedding."

Uriel raised his eyebrows, but was prevented from speaking by our mother, sweeping down on me, giving me a huge hug. Then turning to Crystal, she raised her eyebrows.

Crystal leapt up. "Right Will. Last time I checked-" she tailed off, eyes shut. I shifted uncomfortably. My stomach writhed, tight with nerves. Crystals eyes snapped open. "Yes, Amsterdam. At the moment she is in a hotel, I think."

Amsterdam. I held it close, savoring it. Crystal hadn't finished. "Her name is a flower, I think... Rose? Bluebell?..."

**I'm so sorry it took so long to update. I was on holiday. :-)**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**And here is another one. **

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Finding Sky, you know...- ITS ALL LIES! (I don't really.)**

Violet

I leant my head against the hotel window. The canals were a grey swirl of a brushstroke, the houses a typical picturesque line drawing. I closed my eyes, fighting off memories.

"Well?" My father stood in front of me. he frowned, and I cringed away.

"No Dad. I- there's nothing else left to remember. I can't find anything in my head. I-" I bent over, hunching around my knees.

"so you have nothing." His voice was flat, cold. "what about your mother? Where would she be?"

"I don't know. She used to, I don't know, I used to hear her in my head. I can't hear her now." I glanced up at him through my eyelashes, tentatively.

My father frowned at me, and stepped forward, hand raised. My boyfriend, Dan, moved forward, from where he had stood, behind my father.

"Wait. Just because her mother isn't here, it doesn't mean she won't come. It's a few days before the… anniversary of- you know."

My father nodded, face serious.

"And I'll take Violet out. We'll see what she can remember on the streets."

Without waiting for my father's nod of approval, Dan took my wrist and pulled me out of the room.

…

Walking along the side of the canal, I glanced up at Danny. His face was chiselled, full of sharp angles and shadows. When I drew him, I did with ink. He was slashes of a brush, sapphire blue for his eyes, the colour that dwells at the bottom of rock pools. Cold and indifferent. They were shadowed, almost by smudges of charcoal. He was awe-inspiring. And he loved me.

Danny looked down at me, and a smile flitted across his face. I beamed back at him.

"Thank you. For stopping my dad."

He smiled down at me. "I wouldn't let your father hit you unnecessarily. There was no need for it."

His face changed, and it is almost unnoticeable. A shadow of something unclear swept across his face, the tip of wing from a shadow of a bird. Possession.

"You're mine Violet. No one else's." And he leant down and kissed me.

**Please review. (As usual)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**And as the last chapter was so short (okay, okay, all my chapters are short, but I'm hoping they'll get longer as it gets more exiting), here is the next one. J hope you all like it.**

**Disclaimer: well, let me put it like this. If I had written Finding Sky, then there would be a character with my name, surprisingly similar to me, with a benedict as a soulfinder. (that would be a no then.)**

Will

Fiddling the keys in my pocket, I wandered down the paved street. Breathing deeply, I tried to exude a calm appetence. Inside though, I was in turmoil. Turning the corner of the street Crystal had predicted my soulfinder was on, I stopped to survey the scene. A couple stood against the wall that ran alongside the canal. The boy leant forward and kissed the girl, possessively, hair almost white against the sky. The girl had gold hair in the light, waves spilling down the arch of her back, as she leant against the boy. Several static hairs floated lose, framing the boys head.

The scene transfixed me, playing over and over in my head. Maybe it was that they were so completely in love, despite the fact that no twist of fate had brought and tied them together. Maybe it was because I would soon have that, and so much more.

I reached the hotel we thought she was staying at. It was the only one in the vicinity, and therefore most likely held my soulfinder. There were no houses in the street Crystal pinpointed. Reaching the front desk, I began flirting with the receptionist. After about five minutes, I grimaced, and looked at my watch.

"Look, I've actually been dragged to Amsterdam by my friends. They've set me up on a blind date, and sent me to this hotel. I'm supposed to be meeting her here?" I gave her a sheepish look.

She looked slightly disappointed. "Ah yes. Of course. What is her name?"

Getting thoroughly involved in the acting, I frowned, puzzled. I used to want to act, but that was before I realised the necessity of a low profile, when being in the savent net. My brothers still brought it up, laughing. And now I was using my skills to get the girl that I was meant to be with. "It would have been... arrgh, I've blanked. It was… a flower. A flower. Definitely a flower. If it makes it easier, she is around my age, twenty, twenty one."

The woman at the desk typed in a couple of searches. Looking up at me, she smiled apologetically, "Sorry I've only got one flower, a Violet, but she is seventeen ish, I believe. She just left with her boyfriend."

"That's ok. Sorry for wasting your time." I smiled at her, and left. Once outside, I felt my shoulders slump. She wasn't there. Possibly never had been. _Keep it together. Hold it in. Breath_. Dejectedly I walked back up the street. Standing at the corner, I looked, but nothing. The girl with the golden hair had disappeared. Along with my naïve hope of a perfect life.

**Well? what'd ya think? Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Here is the next one. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I own Finding Sky- Oh wait no I don't!**

Violet

We left four days later. My father was furious, I could tell, and I avoided all time with him. But he was waiting, I knew. I didn't want to go home.

We sat on the aeroplane, Danny presiding in the seat between my father and me. a film played in the background, but no one was watching. We sat in silence.

My father leaned forward, and looked around Danny at me.

"We are moving. House. We are leaving in aspen."

"What-why? Where are we going?" I exchanged a glance with Danny.

"We are moving to Wrickenridge. I needed a change of scene, however slight. We are on the outskirts of the town."

I relaxed. It wasn't far. Wrickenridge was where Danny had a part time house due to the skiing season.

...

We moved immediately. Packing everything into moving trucks, leaving the house bare. I looked at my bedroom, covered in drawings, where I had sketched on the walls. It also showed marks of accidents, where my emotions had-gotten out of hand. I shut the door, my head crowded.

We drove away without a goodbye. My father was not sentimental. It was all done in the day we arrived back home. I was already enrolled in the high school in Wrickenridge, having made the forty five minute drive every day. For some reason, my father disliked the head at Aspen. Danny didn't like him either. I didn't know why. They wouldn't explain.

My father punished me over the Amsterdam trip-I had failed.

I was nobody's friend at school. Although the students conformed to the cliques and groups depending on interests, I was not in the arty group. I had not created anything, not even drawn, when starting school. And no one cared to look, after.

I was "Dan's girlfriend", and that became my title. When Danny wasn't there at lunch, I would sit with the misfits, with Wendy, who would talk to herself, Daisy, who wouldn't talk- we were on the outside, watching those on the inside. I liked to watch the people who everyone loved. I watched Tina, as she adopted the little English girl Sky. I used to imagine I was her, that I had started at school, that it was me who had attracted Zed Benedict when no one else had. But it was not me and would never be me.

The only person who loved me was Dan, no matter how much I loved anyone else. And sometimes, when I looked at the tiny Sky, and her wolfish Zed, I wondered when Dan would realise how un-lovable I was.

The perfect Sky and her boyfriend were not at school that day. Dan was playing football and I was alone. I went to the art rooms and drew away the memories crowded in my head.

**Hope you like it. Please review. :-)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Well, here is the next installment. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! J It's great to see that people do like it. :-) As per usual, review, follow, favorite. **

**Disclaimer: do I own finding sky? Um, let me think. No! (Very sadly too.)**

Will

I went home with my brothers, alone. My soulfinder was nowhere to be found. She was gone, if she had ever been there. When I could not find her in the hotel, the Benedicts came down in force. We went into every hotel, and when that failed, we started to try homes around the street she was supposed to be on.

My soulfinder was not in Amsterdam. At least, not where I could find her. My brothers were constantly around me, with me, but I was enclosed in a bubble which no one could penetrate. Not even Uriel. Not even Vic.

We always knew, I mused as we left the plane behind, that the odds of all of us finding our soulfinders were low. I just never pictured me as one of those alone. And when crystal discovered her powers, the odds rose. I was on the wheel of luck, where fortunes rise and fall. And right now, I was plummeting towards the ground. Maybe, as clichéd as it sounds, it was never meant to be.

"Will." We were back at the house. "Will. I'm really sorry. I'll try again." It was Crystal. She was near tears.

"It's fine." My voice cracked. "Fine. Wasn't your fault."

Turning I strode off into the house. I was up in my bedroom quick enough to see Xav folding Crystal into a hug. I closed my eyes.

"Dude." The bedroom door closed. _Huh. I thought I had shut it._ It was Vic. "I'm sorry about-you know. It's rough." I laughed, a harsh sound. He stood at my shoulder, looking out of the window with me. We watched as Zed picked up Sky, spinning her around, before setting her down on her feet and kissing her. We both winced.

I looked at Victor. "Could- could I stay with you in Denver for a while. I can't…. cope with this right now." I looked towards the soulfinders.

He smiled at me. "Sure."

I had to get away.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Hey y'all. This one is a slightly longer chapter, I think. They will get longer soon I think. Review as always. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Well, if I had written Finding Sky, I would be drowning in homework. I already put off homework to write this. Can you imagine a full book?!**

Violet

Every week, my highlight, my oasis in the bleakness that seemed to followed me, was the double period that I had art in on a Wednesday, and again on Friday. Art was where I could forget everything, push it all away. I lived for art. It got me through the week.

It was no different on the Friday I came back from Amsterdam. Apart, maybe, from the fact I had more memories to lose; to paint over like the old masters. Miss Cadett, my art teacher danced to the front of the room.

"Okay all yee beautiful girlies. And my lovely boys." She focused her attention on the three boys sprawled at the back of the room. I smiled slightly at their discomfort, viewed easily from my seat in the corner, out of sight.

"Our theme today is love and/or loss," she continued.

Tina raised her hand, from her seat in the centre. "What are we doing it in miss?"

"Acrylics," the answer came, sang as our tiny, (smaller than me, although not by much) eccentric art teacher danced her way across the room, hips swaying as she threw paints at us. Bending down, I fetched my canvas from under the desk. Placing it down at an angle, I grabbed my pencil, and began to draw. The outline first, a profile. The profile of a girl. Someone behind her. Waves held in hands, polished nails. Then, reaching for my paintbrush, I squeezed the tubes, leaving blobs of paint in an even pattern around the palate. Chestnut brown; the woman's hair. Navey blue, and brown. Purple too; the eyes. Skin tones, white for her, a touch of brown for her. The picture was in dappled white, the hazy quality of a memory. It hurt my head remembering. It hurt. _Paint it away, Violet._ So I painted.

An hour and a half later, I was finished. I leant back in my chair, looking. I always did that when I had done something. It got me to focus on the big picture, the whole thing, rather than the small flaws. It stopped me from ripping the picture up, smashing the sculpture. To try and improve, see what I could salvage.

It was a girl, leaning forward on her hands, her eyes, such a dark blue, colliding with chocolate brown, creating an… almost a purple, were raised to the ceiling. My mother used to call it a Violet colour.

Her hair, a dark blondish brown was held back from her face. You could see the hands, and the rich chestnut brown of the owner of the hands' hair, hanging forward.

The hands were busy, securing the hair, plaiting it into a rope. They both had the same white skin, the girl's a shade lighter, and very similar features.

"Beautiful." Miss Cadett was standing at my shoulder. "This clearly represents the theme. Love. The feeling is very strong." She beamed at me.

"Actually, I thought it was more like loss."

She looked down at me, a dent between her eyebrows. "Yes. There is an idea of sadness…" she looked closer at the painting, then glanced at me, recognition in her eyes. "Oh, and your mother-"

"Also," I broke in diverting attention, "they are both are not mutually exclusive."

"Yes," she paused in front of my painting of a mother and child. "Yes" she said, walking off.

…

We had to leave our paintings to dry, but we were not allowed to leave them in the art rooms over a day. When the last period was over, I went to grab my canvas. The art rooms were empty. I sat down on one of the stools. I pulled out the pencil I had held fast in my hair, pulling it up in a bun. There was a piece of paper on the floor. I began to draw. I drew Tina, with her wild hair, and tamed crazy nails. Her smooth skin, caramel coloured. I drew her resting against her hand, thinking.

"That's really good." I jumped, knocking my drawing on the floor. Tina bent to pick it up. She held it close, looking at it.

"It's me, right?" I nodded. "It's great. You know there is that art centre, run by the Brights? You should come. They'd love you there. It's not expensive, or anything."

I smiled tentatively at her. "Maybe I will. I never thought... they'd like my work there."

"Idiot. Of course they would. You are amazing at this kind of thing. You know art." She paused, then waved my picture at me. "can I keep this?"

"Sure. I have far to many pictures anyway."

"Silly!" she hit me with the paper. "You can never have too many pictures."

And then she was gone, grabbing her canvas on the way. She had drawn her and her friends, laughing. Sky Bright was in the centre, looking at Tina in adoration.

I smiled to myself. It had been a long time.

**Review? Sorry if that went on for a while. I like talking about Violet.**

**see ya soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Hello again. How've you all been. Thanks for all the reviews- well the one from amelia-maryxxlovex that I got when I was writing this. Slightly hyper before I wrote this, and then after writing it I got kinda depressed. Wow, I have seriously weird mood swings (although it was about the chapter. Why do they have to be so bloody sad people?) okay, I'm going to stop now before I get even weirder- hard I know!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to claim it, I do not own Finding Sky and co. Hmmm; I wonder whether I could steal it…**

Will

I couldn't even meet up with Trace and Diamond when they returned home. I felt impossibly guilty, but I just couldn't do it. My family were worried about me. I could tell. There were constant phone calls to Vic, and the whispered monologue on Vic's side was enough.

"Yes…Yes…he's fine…no…no…just sad I think…no don't…mmm…no…yes…look, I know-…yes, put Dad on…okay…bye…I will…Hey dad…yeah, good idea…-not mum though…see you soon…bye…bye."

A few seconds later his head came around the door. "Dad's coming over." Oh yes.

My dad arrived an hour later. I could hear him and Victor talking. "Crystal's upset, she feels like she failed at being what she does. Xav doesn't know what to do."

I did. I was making everyone miserable. The only way to resolve it was to make them think I didn't mind. I had to go home.

I walked into the living room. Both jumped at my presence. I smiled at them.

"hey dad, Vic. Dad, can I come home? I'm getting in the way here." Might as well get straight to the point.

"No, you're not!" Victor protested. But he was smiling.

My dad grinned. "Sure you can."

…

When I first got back, everyone crept around me and the subject of soulfinders. But I laughed and joked until they relaxed. It hurt how quickly they could forget me and my pain. It come, I guess, from always being the joker, the laidback son. Some members of my family were still tactful around me. one was Vic, who had seen me at my lowest, and Uriel who felt the same. Another person who surprised me was the soulfinder, not intuitive Sky, orCrystal, who had felt so bad at the lack of my soulfinder, but Phee. Whenever it started to feel especially bad, she would be at my shoulder, big brown eyes wide, or get Yves to distract and disperse those too "in love."

I think that if it had not been for her, I would not have been able to keep up the front. Already, under the mask, I was cracking. And it wasn't going to be long before I broke.

**Hope you liked it. Please review. See you all.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Hey all of you. I've been sitting on the laptop, listening to sad songs. Slightly emotional now. Hee hee. I think this chapter is going to be a long one. I'm not sure. Either that or there will be two. Sorry homework. No time for you. Hope you like it. By the way, thanks to all of you who have reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: Well, I'm getting the feeling Joss Stirling might be a little older than fourteen. Anyone else get that?**

Violet

That night, I went home later than usual. I had not got anything for dinner, and I needed some ingerdients. My fater had been depressed lately, after getting back from Amsterdam. He desperately wanted my mum, and her second hand daughter was not going to make up for that.

The key stuck in the lock, as per usual. The lock was old, battered and the keys were matching. You had to gently tease it open. Finally the door gave and I fell through the doorway. Shutting it behind me, I whirled into the kitchen. Setting my canvas down on the table, I began unpacking the shopping bags. Then, rolling up my sleeves, I began work on the lasagne, my father's favourite food.

Dusk was setting over the sky. I could see tendrils of dark purple, the colour of my eyes, reaching out across the horizon. The oven hummed, the lasagne settled in its midst. Walking up the stairs, I stood on the doorway of my bedroom, looking in. It was beginning to look lived in, traces of me scattered across the almost empty space. Porcelain birds hung from the ceiling, suspended by gossamer threads. My mobile. They were swallows. I had sat, watching the birds as they flitted past my bedroom every dawn for a month, to capture their movements and personality. Weeks with hands coated in clay.

It was dark. The sky was black, curling in around the world. My father was supposed to be home, but nine came and went, fleeting, quick. I ate my share of the lasagne, when my stomach began impersonating the sound scape of a jungle. His was in the dish, wrapped in tinfoil. The house waited. I had cleared up my remains of cooking on the sideboard, and then I waited, back to the sky.

The door was slammed back. We differed in almost everything, down to how we opened the door. He would not wait, easing it open, but would use brute force, making it obey him. Yet we were so similar. We had the same blood, pulsing around our veins, a heart, presiding in the same caity in our chest, encased by the same, white, curved bones. We were linked by blood… and only blood. He would always remind me of that. When they found me, tight in a ball in a deserted doorway in Amsterdam, it was him they took me to. It was him on the birth certificate they dug out. Our ties were paper thin.

He slouched into the kitchen, eyes red, bloodshot. I lept up, chair falling back. I rushed to the oven, and opened it, getting out the lasagne. The tinfoil was pulled back and I watched it steam. I cut down, slicing through pasta sheets, and cheese. I turned around to the table, plate in hand, and placed it down, in front of him. He didn't notice, staring at the painting I had left propped up against the wall. _Shit._ I had forgotten to move it. He never wanted to see my art, and I never showed him. He wouldn't have liked to see what I painted. I painted memories.

He looked up at me and I could see he recognised the people in the scene. His eyes were cold and furious. I was not going to be forgiven.

"Why do you always do things like this Violet? You are a constant disappointment." I lowered my head, ashamed.

"You are yet again proving that you are not my daughter. I'm glad, as usual."

"What?" What did he mean? That was the only reason I wasn't turned over to social services.

"Don't look like that Violet. You are nothing like me. You are lazy, stupid, and bad. You are evil. Look at what you do . you are evil. How dare you even think you could be half me." he was shouting, voice rising. Stop. Please make him stop. I knew. I _knew_. Why was he telling me . I KNEW! I knew I was evil. Make it stop. He was shouting, veins throbbing, tendons tight.

I closed my eyes. I could hear my blood rushing around my veins. The blood in my veins, pounding. Throbbing. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. STOP! And there was a crash and a rushing. And it stopped. The tap had burst. Water was spilling over the sink, pouring down the side. The table was soaked, from several feet away. The wind was hurling itself at the windows and doors, screaming past the house. The solitary tree standing by our house was throwing itself from side to side, roots splitting the ground. The kitchen was silent.

He looked at me. I looked at him. He smiled, without humour. He leant forward, beckoning me forward.

"_Evil." _And he was right. I didn't know how no one else had noticed.

He wasn't my father. He said he didn't love me. But he did care for me. He tried constantly to make me a better person. I felt awful he kept failing. A muffled thud. An explosion of pain. I cried out.

"Please." The evil inside me made its rush for freedom. I bit down on my lip. Don't let it escape. It's my fault I'm evil. I _let_ myself be evil.

Again. I whimpered. I squeezed my eyes shut. The blackness was tinged a crimson red. The red stayed imprinted on the backs of my eyelids. The red of nightmares. I saw it for a long time.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**I realised I was going to have to split that chapter up. It was going to get a bit to long anyway. Not that I don't need long chapters, but the next events belong in a separate chapter, 'cos they are a new day. So I'll update two at once as the next chapters gunna be really short.**

**Disclaimer: Uh…NO. nope no I wish. I could go on but I'm bored.**

Will

I can't do this anymore. It's too hard. There's a huge hole in my life, and there is nothing that can fill it. Nothing but her. I need her. Why? Why me?

Smile Will. You'll be fine. Why does it hurt so much for a girl I have never met? I don't know why.

I need my soulfinder. And soon.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**And here is the next one. I know, you love me. **

**Disclaimer: well, if you haven't gotten it by now, then you need to pay closer attention. Hee hee. Well I think I am funny, even if you don't. go on I'm kinda funny. Kinda?**

Violet

It was Saturday. The blotches on my arms were bright, but they would fade. They were sort of beautiful. Hues of green and blue, shiny, dark, vivid against the pale of my skin. I wanted to draw them. But I had other things to do. Danny and I were going skiing. I loved going to the mountains. The sky seemed endless, bright, impossible blue, no matter the weather or the snow laden on the ground.

Danny saw the bruises on my arms, the ones not hidden under my top, or jeans, and frowned, through made no comment. I pulled on the ski suit and we left. My father did not emerge, sleeping away his hangover. After about five minutes, Danny got bored of watching me fall over, skidding down the nursery slopes. With a laugh, he kissed me on the top of my head, and left me to go to the top of the mountain. Danny skied fanatically, and every winter would spend half his time on the mountains. The skis hardly ever parted from his feet. I did not ski, having not talent at it. With no Danny to encourage me to continue, I decided to call it a day. Walking up to the ski lift, I leant against the ticket stall to buy one. A Benedict, Xav, was sitting back in his chair, feet up on the counter.

Winking at me he said, "Hey Darlin'. What can I do for you?" he smiled at me. it was a nice smile, where his eyes crinkled up either side. I found myself smiling back.

"Well I was going to ask you for a ticket for the ski lift, but looking at it, I think I'll give it a miss." My nose wrinkled slightly, as I looked at the lift.

He laughed. "Scared of heights? Well that won't do. How do you ski?"

"Well that's the thing. I don't. Strapping things to my feet and pushing myself down a very high mountain doesn't really sound like fun. Doesn't sound like a good idea, either."

Waving the ticket at me, he asked, "whats the point in this then? Why'd you want to go to the top?"

"Oh, well, basically boyfriend is at the top. I thought I'd go meet him guess that idea is redundant now."

"Aww. Don't be like that. You'll problem miss him anyway. Stay down here and greet him when she comes down. Look, you can even wait here. There was a little booth, and he moved along the seat, so I could squash in. The door shut and warmth enveloped me. The space was small, and somehow, that seemed hysterical to me. Xav chuckled at my hysterics. The occasional customer came and it was almost a game, the challenge of serving them a ticket when we were so crammed in our sardine tin, we could not move our arms. I was properly happy for the first time in a while.

"Violet? Violet?" It was Danny. He was obviously looking for me.

"Dan. Danny, I'm in here." I leant out of the booth, waving my hands.

He came around the corner, and looked. I could see him taking in the scene. I don't know why that made me nervous. But suddenly, I wanted to get out, to dis-attach myself from any thing I may have had done.

"Xav, this is my boyfriend, Dan." Xav smiled, cautiously, and waved, a quick raise of his hand.

"Well. We'd better go. See you around Xav."

I opened the door, and fell out into the snow. Danny wrapped his arm around my waist. We got into his car. We drove. We went to the cabin he had in the woods. He frowned the entire drive, and as we clambered out the car, he barked at me. "How could you even do that to me Violet?"

I frowned, bemused. "What did I do?"

The answer came immediately. "You flirted with that… Benedict." The name was spat, disgust in his voice. "You are my girlfriend Violet. _Mine."_

I looked at him. "Danny. Danny. I didn't flirt with him. I don't like him. I love you, Danny. Please say you love me back. Even if I don't deserve it."

"I do love you. God knows why, but I do. Little Violet. That's why I get so angry. I love you and you go and spoil the love by doing things like that. That's why I do the things I do, to punish you, for being so bad. Because I love you."

"I know, Danny. I'm sorry." It was true. He loved me. all the little things he did, he did because he loved me. sometimes, part of my mind told me he didn't love me, but that was just the evil talking. Danny agreed.

He showed me he loved me that night. God, at this rate, the bruises will be there forever. I said that to Danny. He thought I was hilarious and not bad at all.

**I know, I know. She doesn't argue back, or fight back. She will at some point. And I know, she seems really naïve. She will change. You'll find out why she is so like she is. Review all of you. Pretty please. I may not update for a while, I'm picking my GCSEs really soon, and so you know stressful. Etc. arrgh.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Hey all. How did ya like the last chapter. I was just reading different peoples profiles, and laughing manically. I'm afraid to say Identified with a lot of quotes/sayings on one profile. That wouldn't be bad, apart from they were things like: be honest, if people could hear what you are thinking, you would be in a mental hospital. Hee hee. Nope does ****_not_**** sound familiar.**

**Disclaimer: when I am older, I am going to marry one of the Benedicts. If I had created them, which is like being their mother, I could not do that as that would be gross.**

Will 

I didn't leave the house for a while. I just watched people come and go. I didn't have anything to do. I didn't really have any idea of what I wanted to pursue, no dreams I wanted to fore fill. No job that I could hide in, like had watched my brother Victor do. so I stayed at home, and tried to make my brothers feel happy. It was funny how I was so good at that, even when I was at my most low.

Xav came home from helping out up at the mountain early. The mountain was the only distraction I had, but it was my day off, and nobody would let me go in instead of them.

"Why're you home early?" He shrugged noncommittally.

"You know, I knew no one else was coming. When one of our most "avid skiers" had left, I knew that no one else would come. So I left."

Typical Xav. He didn't like the really good skier because he was close to him in skill. But the skier could get better, be remembered for skiing. Xav wasn't allowed to stand out. No wonder he didn't like this skier.

"And who is this "avid skier"?"

"Oh, he is in the year above Zed. Same as Yves. His girlfriend is nice. She's cute too." He winked at me.

"D'you fancy her? Crystal will be heart broken."

"Oh, she'll manage. She doesn't really love me. No but seriously, she is really sweet. She kept me company, on my own in the snow." He pulled a face.

"Oh, naughty. So what _did_ you and this girl do on your own, in an enclosed space, in the isolated mountains?" I wiggled my eyebrows.

"Well, you know the usual. Our love burns so brightly, it dazzles me." he clapped his hands to his chest, and fell to his knees.

"Xavier Benedict," Crystal said sharply, but with a huge smile across her face. "Why do I get the feeling this passionate declaration of love is not about me?"

"How could it be about anyone other than you my darling?" his kissed her passionately on the lips. I smiled and looked away, but it didn't hurt as much. When I was around Xav and Crystal, I never usually felt sad. They were to like me, to constantly in jest to be thoroughly involved in their love. Yet somehow, they were the most satisfied, and completely perfect of all the soulfinders. But it didn't hurt _as much._

Leaving them too it, I went into the kitchen to begin making dinner. I was due to have another day off, but when my mother came home, I grabbed her arm, stopping her march into the living room.

"Where is that Xavier Benedict? Did I tell him he could leave the ski lift booth unattended? No. no! no I did not. So why did I get a call from _Mrs Hoffman _of all people, telling me that there was no one she could by a ticket from for the ski lift? Wait till I get my hands on that boy…" She trailed off muttering threats.

"Mom. Mom," I said waving my hand in front of her face.

Her attention snapped back to me, "Yes darling? Your cooking smells lovely by the way. I know its your cooking because your lazy good for nothing brother can't cook to save his life!" she shouted the last words. I heard the snigger from Crystal, and xav's outraged "Hey!"

"Wait, why did Mrs Hoffman want to go up the ski lift? - Never mind. Look I was wondering whether I could do tomorrow? I was really bored today."

"Sure darling. You can teach ski lessons. It was Xav's job, but he doesn't deserve it. He can sell tickets again. He hates that job. Now, you go tend to that dinner, it smells slightly burny. I'm going to go give your brother hell."

I rushed back into the kitchen, to sort out my food. I heard the patter of my mother's feet, light even when she was trying to stomp. I heard heard her "Xavier Benedict! Get your lazy behind over here where I can see you."

I heard Xav's "Oh. Crap," and Crystals laugh, as she pulled him by the arm, into the living room. I heard my brothers one by one trudging up the path leading to our house. It sounded like a home. We sounded like a family. But my soulfinder wasn't part of it.

**Sorry I keep ending thses chapters with a depressed person talking. Ah well. Bye for now.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**And I'm back again. Um, I hope you like this chapter. It is written by a girl who was listening to sad music _again_, but hopefully shouldn't be too depressed, as I have consumed a lot of chocolate in the last hours. This is not good. Lots of chocolate=insane, hyper me. Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: Well. Lets think about this logically, shall we? Me+Finding Sky does not equal Joss Stirling. Hmmm funny that…**

Violet

We went back to my father's house the next morning. It wasn't mine, even though I lived there. When we came in he was at the kitchen table, a rare occurrence in this house. He was never around. He said he was busy, but I didn't believe him. He was avoiding me, I knew. I provoked unhappy memories, of my mother. Well, not unhappy, happy really. Wonderful, beautiful memories. A startling contrast to what he had after, with me.

The problem was that I reminded him of my mother. Every time he looked at me, he saw my mother. He had tried to remove all traces of her, pictures hidden, stowed away. But it didn't work when she was everywhere, across my face. When my father looked at me, he didn't see me, he saw an imprint of my mother, everything he couldn't have. I was a pale, lesser version of my mother. And it killed him. Almost as much as it killed him when my mother left.

He watched us as we came in. he looked at me, hand in hand with Danny, me in the clothes I had left the house wearing yesterday, and I saw the assumption in his eyes. He was wrong, but I didn't contradict his thinking. He wouldn't speak up, protest against what he had thought I had done. He didn't really care.

Danny pulled me towards me bedroom, tugging me up the stairs. Once there, he kissed me hard, hands playing in my hair. A surge of love for him swelled in my chest. He loved me, even when I was the most unlovable person in the world. He wasn't like most other boys. He never pressured me, or made me do things that others would. I loved him so much. He sighed and rested his head against my forehead.

"I love you Vi. So much."

I laughed, "Good thing that. Because I love you too."

…

Later, I sat and drew. Danny didn't like to watch me draw, found it boring. He lay back on my bed, and closed his eyes. Soon a soft snore could be heard, a light exhaling. I laughed softly, to myself. I drew, not thinking about anything, just drawing. It was nice, simple, mindless. Danny stirred in his sleep, arms flung out. He hit a stack of books by my bed, and they fell down, with a clatter. I jumped, woken from my daydream.

I looked down at my picture. My eyes widened, surprised at what I had drawn. It was the Benedicts, with their partners. Only the ones that had a partner though. There was the mother and father, Saul and Karla. She was looking up at hi, and he down at her. Their arms were wrapped around each other. There was little sky, tiny against her giant Zed. His arms encircled her, protective, looming over her, but she wasn't intimidated by her. She was looking out at me, the watcher. There was Yves and the girl he brought back with him, from the college he attended over the summer. They had caused a minor scandal with the town population, with the marriage they had in the tiny church. All of the Benedicts came, crowding the pews. But none of her family. There were rumours they'd disowned her, that she was pregnant, but when no baby appeared, they died down. I think especially Zoey had been disappointed when the handsome, but studious Benedict boy arrived back home with a girl firmly stuck to his side.

They were kissing, Yves and the girl, Phoenix. Her arms were around his neck. There were two others, Xav and Crystal, laughing and hugging each other, and Trace and Diamond, Diamond in trace's arms, bridal style. There was one other couple standing on the side-lines, almost excluded in the family. It was the boy, Will. The girl was staring at him, and he also was looking back at her. He was smiling, gently, sweetly. She looked amazed, fascinated, by this boy who held her in his arms.

All of the couples were looking at each other in love. But the love that was written across their faces was clean, pure, amazing. Nothing like my sort of love, partly desperate, partly sad.

But that was not the thing that made me drop the paper. That was not the thing that made me kick at it, push it under my desk, hide it from any eyes that would fall upon it. No, the thing about the picture that I had to hide was the fact that the girl in Will's arms was me. And she looked like she'd never met Danny in her life.

**Hope you liked it. P****lease Review, Follow and Favorite.  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

**Thanks for all the reviews. I really like reading about what people think. Thanks to sevenofdiamonds, I spent quite a while thinking them up! ( To those of you who just read that and went what?, she said that she liked my disclaimers.) here is the next one. hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: When I read Finding Sky, I was really happy but really sad that it had ended. I was talking to my friends, and I was going on about how amazing it was. She said, yes I know, it was great, I read it all at once, and then immediately started to read the next one. I then screamed (which wasn't very much appreciated by my RS teacher) and started to jump up and down in my seat. I know I have a short memory, but forgetting I had written a book is pretty extreme, even for me! so basically (anecdote coming to an end, that would be a no, I do not own Finding Sky.) wow that was long. :-)**

Will 

It had been a while, since the Amsterdam trip, but it was always on my mind, in the back of my head, the little voice that asked: _why wasn't she there? Does she need help? Was I ever going to find her?_

Yet somehow, it had seemed that everyone else had forgotten it. Uriel and Vic never seemed to wonder about the lack of information they had on their perfect other halves. Crystal seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the power she possessed was never used, no matter the number of savants that could use it.

With all the people that seemed completely unaware about the missing soulfinders, I tried to put it out of my mind, tell myself that I didn't want to search hopelessly for my soulfinder, and go through the same thing again. I was lying. It dwelled on my mind constantly. But I wasn't expecting to try again.

I went around with my shields up, slabs of stone, built up around my mind, to stop others from seeing just how much I hurt. So I nearly didn't hear the tentative knock on the shield, the whispered: _Will?_

It was Crystal. I turned around, and saw her sitting on the other side of the room, looking at me. She smiled at me. _Hey. I was wondering whether you'd like to try and see where you're soulfinder is, see whether I can find her._ I sat back in the chair shocked. I gave her a little nod.

"Outside? Just me you and Xav?" she spoke this time.

Good. That was better. Then, if it happened again, there would be less sympathetic looks, and a much easier time trying to hide the hurt I felt. I stood up.

Outside, we sat on a raised hill, looking out at the woods that crested a mountain. It was one of happy memories. Zed and Sky, Phoenix and Yves, Crystal and Xav. I didn't know about Trace. I hoped to make my own.

We sat, knee to knee, shoulder to shoulder. Crystal closed her eyes.

"okay. Just looking. Umm." Her face was screwed up in concentration. Please work. Please work.

"wait. That's not…. She trailed off. "I can't find her. Like before, I was following to bridge to your soulfinder. There was an arch, a line connecting you to her. Now, its just twisting back to here. I don't understand it."

She looked at me, bewilderment written across her face. I stood up.

"Don't worry about it Crystal. I'm sure it's just a one off."

And turning around, I walked away.

**Sorry that one was short. I needed to get it out the way, so I could move on to the next events. Still, I hoped you liked it. As always, I would love reviews. **


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

**And here I am again. I am amazing, I know. Worship me!**

**Disclaimer: Well basically, there was this magical thing that happened during the time where I wrote the last chapter's disclaimer and this one where I suddenly became the owner of Finding Sky. Hang on a minute, no it didn't! so basically, NO.**

Violet

It was the next weekend. I sat in Danny's car, looking at my hands. I could see the scars on my hands and wrists, standing out silver against the pale cream of my skin. A week since I drew that bewildering image of the Benedicts. I week since I drew me in the arms of a boy. A boy that wasn't Danny. A week since the evil that lived in my hands, and my head and my heart escaped.

Danny reached over and squeezed my knee.

"Now Violet. Please don't do what you did last week. Please. It wasn't good, and it really hurt. Okay?"

Of course it was okay. He had every right to hate me, and he didn't. I loved him so much. I nodded.

We got out the car. Danny smiled and kissed me quickly, before walking up to the ski lift. I followed, making a detour for tickets for both him and me. I wasn't going to do what I did last week. Xav was sitting in the ticket booth.

Ducking my head, I went over and asked him in a low voice for two tickets for the ski lift. He raised an eyebrow.

"Two? One for you, and one for your boyfriend, who doesn't even bother coming with you?"

"He wants to start skiing. I don't want to ski, so I don't mind wasting time."

Xav shrugged, before printing out the tickets. He lent over and gave them to me. as I reached out to get them, my sleeve fell back. I grabbed the tickets off him, trying to hide anything that could be wrong, but I was too late. He was staring transfixed at the scars on my wrist, slashes of silver ink. I turned, eager to be away from him. I half ran towards the ski lift, desperate to get away from his judging eyes.

I could hear his behind me, scrambling from the stall, swearing under his breath.

"Violet! Violet! _Shit!_" He was running towards me. Suddenly, I could-I could _hear_ him, in my head. _Stop. Wait._ And then it was like he was talking to someone else, but I could still hear him. _Yves, can you man the stall? I have to do something._

I was on the ski lift. He was on it behind me. He was calling out to me, asking me to wait. I was trapped. I couldn't get back down the mountain without him catching up with me. Dammit! I could feel tears pooling in my eyes, but I blinked them back.

I hadn't gotten off a ski lift before, and I tensed, scared. Then I was sliding off, skidding before regaining my balance. And Xav was there, steadying me. I turned away, ashamed of the tears that were so obvious on my face. He turned it towards him, gently.

"Violet, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. It's not-not what you think. I-" but I couldn't continue because tears were pouring down my face too fast, too thick. He pulled me into a hug, warm and comforting. I felt safe. It was nice.

Suddenly there was a thudding sound, and a jolt went through Xav, slamming us backwards. He cried out, and released me, his hand going to his face. Dan stood there, large, imposing.

"Take your hand off of her!" He spoke through clenched teeth. And then he hit Xav again, hard, and fast. I screamed at him, imploring him to stop, as he hit Xav, again, and again. Xav hit back, and they were both punching, on the ground. I leapt forward, trying to pull Dan off, but he turned and looked at me, hard. I felt sick, terrified of what he was going to do. I backed away, slowly, like someone might, confronted with a snake. But then Xav tackled him, and he wasn't looking at me anymore.

Other people were there, suddenly, and trying to stop them. But when fists are flying that fast, you don't want to get close, because, when it comes down to it, self-preservation comes first.

Sky was there, screaming at them, and running forward to stop them. Apparently, that rule does not apply to her. She is just too good. But I couldn't let her get hurt. Because staying away in fear of getting hit by accident is one thing, but staying away because someone may lash out at you is another. And Sky wasn't aware of Dan's angers and rages. And someone as good as Sky is worth the risk of getting hurt yourself.

So I threw myself at Sky, and held her on the ground, away from Dan. She fought back, kicking, and wriggling. But I was determined she wouldn't get near enough to Dan to catch his attention, and so on the ground she stayed. It is funny, how, when there is so much concentrated violence, you can get detached from things. The world muffles, and I could watch myself, centred in the events enfolding.

I watched as the Benedicts arrived, running forward to stop the two people fighting. The girl down on the ground, holding down the other may have known them. They ran forward, and pulled them apart, getting hit for their troubles. One boy ignores the fighting couple, and runs straight to the two girls on the ground. He lifts up the first girl, and throws her away from the second, on to the ground.

The thing about these moments when you are dis-attached is that, at some point, you come back to the present. And so I did, with a slam, onto the icy ground. Zed Benedict lent over me, a growl in his voice, and a threat in his eyes.

"Never, ever touch her again," and picking up the girl he loved, he drew her away, sheltering her from the nasty girl on the ground.

The police came, then, and holding back the eager crowd, they collected the witnesses. They were helping Xav sit up, but when he glanced over, I looked away. Why would he want to see the girl who made him so hurt? Because he was hurt. Bruises were already forming on his face, nose bleeding. I shook my head, not wanting to see any more damage.

Dan was sitting beside two police officers, talking to them. He too had bruises flowering across his face, although it did not look too bad compared to Xav's. Then, the police began to round us up, collecting us in police cars. The Benedicts drove, with the exception of Xav, who was placed in the back of a police car. Dan and I also got this honour. Dan was in the same one as me, although he was silent, fuming. I could feel my entire body shaking, hands trembling violently.

…

The police station was dark, florescent lights sparse, and dim. They led me into a separate room to Dan, and Xav, and left me there. I sat, trying to contain the shudders running through me.

Eventually an officer came to relive me of my thoughts. He sat down in front of me, and frowned at his notes.

"Well, I have heard from both sides, as well as Zed and Sky Benedict, but I would like to be a little clearer on how this fight happened. We are looking to you,Mmiss Miller to enlighten us."

He frowned at me expectantly. I shrank back in my seat. I was scared. I knew I should tell, but I was so afraid of damaging something Dan said. He may of attacked Xav, but he was the only person that loved me. I did not want to anger him. But Xav was so hurt…

"Miss Miller, it is your duty to tell us. We already know that you attacked Miss Bright. Was this to protect your boyfriend?"

I hunched my shoulders further. I couldn't tell him. I was bad. I was scared for me, not just for Dan. I was scared _OF_ Dan. He got so angry.

"Miss Miller-"

I had to. They expected me to. And Dan had really hurt Xav. So I did. And I was so scared.

…

They led me out after. The Benedicts were still in the waiting room, for some strange reason. Maybe they wanted to taunt me and Dan. Dan had been let off with a waning, and a mark on his permanent record. Xav was just a warning, as Dan had initiated the fight.

Ducking my head, I avoided the glares from the Benedicts, mainly coming from Zed. The policeman clapped me on the shoulder, and lightly pushed me towards Dan.

"There's your girlfriend. She has been very helpful."

The glares were coming from both sides now. Dan took me by the arm and led me away, into his car. We sat down, and he began to drive, towards his cabin. I looked at my knees, feeling sick to the pit of my stomach. What had I done?

The car lurched. We were diving down the uneven road towards the isolated spot in which Danny spent most of his time. I slammed against my seat belt as we parked, leaning into Danny. He sat there, unmoving as I swung around in my seat.

"Danny…" I wanted to continue, but what could I say? I'm sorry I betrayed you, hurt you, got you into trouble? I'm sorry I'm me?

"Don't. just… don't," he held up his hand, silencing me. he swung his legs round, and jumped out to let me out. He opened my door and stood there, waiting.

"Out." And out I got.

He pulled his keys out his pocket, wearily, tired of the charade of indifference. I could see the rage, gathering, building, under the calm skies. The door swung open with a bang, wind blowing it backwards. The temperature was dropping, plummeting, the descent bringing snow. I could feel it and wondered how hard the impact would be when the cold hit rock bottom.

We walked into the cabin, almost recoiling from the warmth. I sat down on the sofa that also served as the bed. I loved this house, even with it being little more than a wood cabin in the middle of nowhere. There was one room, which included a bed, sofa, kitchen, and living space. There was one other room, a toilet, leading off from the main space. The wood was a warm colour, ingrained with swirls, varnish coating it, giving a sheen.

It had so many good memories, so many outnumbering the bad. I felt though, like this wouldn't be one of the good ones.

I tried again, "Danny?"

He turned his back on me, pulling in his shoulders in an intake of breath. I mimicked him, in an expression of misery. Suddenly he spun around to face me, fury written in every line on his face.

"Why Violet? Why the hell did you have to do that? That whole situation was your fault. And then, to make things worse, you went and betrayed me to the police. You made everything worse. You ruined everything. I had a cover story in place, and you went and told the police what happened. Why the flipping hell would you do that? Why did you do that you betrayed me. I HATE you."

He swung forward, and his fist connected with my cheek. I cried out and fell backwards. He continued forward, fists connecting with my body. I could feel tears streaming down my face, and I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender. He brought his fist down, hard on my arm, and I heard it meet, my arm giving, with a sickening crack.

I drew back, edging away from him, down the bed. But Danny followed, face screwed up with anger. My arm was held, cradled to my chest, and I could feel my body vibrating with the shock. Danny raised his hand, and then brought up it down fast, onto my stomach. I curled up in a ball, dragging in desperate breaths into my lungs. My body wasn't working well anymore, and I could feel it resisting my attempts to get it to move. He picked me me up, and threw me across the room. I landed on my side, and I screamed, unable to bite it back.

My ribs were on fire, a raging pain against the others. Even my broken arm was a dull ache compared to the acute pain in my side. Danny's head jerked when I screamed, and he bent over me.

"Go," he hissed, and so I went.

I ran. I ran, past the pain screaming in my side, and leg and arm, past my legs giving way. I ran, into the woods, away from the path. Sticks and brambles tore at my feet, where I had lost my shoes in the settled snow. I was shaking with cold, my feet numb. After a while, my injuries stopped hurting, as the numbness spread up my legs and then into my arms.

My dress caught on bushes, and trees, and I noticed, detachedly, there was a red bloodstain, vivid against the white of the dress. I ran and I ran, until I could run no further. And then I let myself fall. I lay in the snow, looking up at the sky above me. _Funny, I couldn't see the sky before._ Oh, I had run, into a clearing, where the trees encircled me, hugging me from all sides. The stars looked down at me, smiling. I smiled back, turning my face up to the sky.

I felt nice and warm, the snow cradling me, suspending me. It was nice, peaceful. Funny, my body was shaking with tremors, like I was cold. I laughed at how ridiculous it was. The forest laughed with me, rustling. Strange, I couldn't feel my fingers.

It started to snow.

**Wow, that actually got quite long there. Hope you liked it. Please review, and all. Well, better do some homework. Fun!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**So after that decent sized chapter (which took me bloody ages) I'm not sure how long this one will be. It may end up very long. It may end up tiny. We shall see. Either way, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: It's not changing….**

Will

I pressed my fingers against my eyes, grainy red drifting through my vision. I exhaled heavily. Yves glanced at me concerned.

"You okay?"

I smiled at him, a warm but wan smile. "_I'm_ fine. Its just… Xav won't have had you know," I switched to telepathy. _…anytime to heal himself. His face must be killing him._

We had been in the police station for over two hours, since I had come running to find my brother having the crap beaten out of him. I had been preparing to take my group down the slope, for a lesson, when Maria, a friend of mine from school came running up to me, gasping for breath.

"Will…," she had panted, "Have to come…Xav's in a fight…losing…going to get hurt…" and she had lent over, gasping. I didn't stop to hear any more. I was sprinting, down towards the ski lift, following the shouts and cries. When you are an older brother, you spend over half your life worried sick over you younger ones. You spend the other half wanting to kill them.

All my brothers had followed me, hearing my desperate thoughts. Zed seemed distracted, but I ignored him. Running head long at the couple rolling around on the ground, I dived headlong at them, pulling at the other boy, trying to get him away from my brother. One of the fists slying in the air caught me in the stomach, but I ignored it. Xav was hurt.

My other brothers pitched in and helped, and with a huge effort, we pulled them apart. I glanced worried at Xav, and had to look away, wincing. His entire face was varying shades of purple, and his nose was bleeding freely. The way he was holding himself, I was pretty sure he was winded. I could hear the breath in his chest catching, as he heaved in breath after breath. I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder. He leaned in to it, silently reassuring me.

_Xav? Xav, what hurts? Can you heal yourself? _

_I'm fine Will. I'll be fine. Zed shut up for a second, okay?_ He addressed the last comment to Zed, who had stormed over to us, Sky tucked under his arm, a furious look on his face. I raised my eyebrows at him, but didn't bother asking. Probably Sky involved. Maybe someone told her the colour she was wearing didn't suit her. It was almost funny how protective Zed was of his little Sky. Almost as funny as watching him getting told off for his protectiveness by his little soulfinder.

I looked back at Xav. He was attempting to stand, clutching at my arm. I braced both hands on his shoulder, and pushed him back down again. _Xav, just…let your body recover, okay. Don't hurt yourself any more than that bastard already did, okay? And don't worry; you are going to get a full debriefing when we get home about what exactly you were doing getting involved in a fist fight. God Xav._

His attention had shifted, zoning out. _It was when…_ his face snapped back into the present. _Where…_he was looking over my shoulder, searching for something. He focused on something, and then looked down, looking sad. _Never mind._

When we reached the police station, Xav, the other boy and a girl I vaguely recognised were escorted into a questioning room. They also came to request Sky's prescence, and Zed wasn't going to let her leave his side. They grudgingly let him in too, and I got a full transmission of what occurred.

_They're asking what happened. You know Sky watched the entire thing. She couldn't intervene though. _His thoughts dimmed slightly as he concentrated on the scene. _Listen, Sky's talking._

_I can't exactly not listen, could I Zed? _

_Shut up Will. No one likes your opinion anyway. Did I tell you what happened with Sky? _And then the soulfinders were talking in perfect unison in my head, the perfect half's, fitted together. _Basically, she was hanging out in the café, doing what she does best, not skiing. She had seen Xav out the window, and waved to him. He seemed a little distracted, and he was talking to someone else, a girl. Then a group of people passed, and when they had moved out the way, I heard a scream, a girl's. Xav and the other one, Dan Mayhew, from the year above me were on the ground, fighting. It was awful. I tried to stop them, I ran forward, and almost reached them, but some _girl_, knocked her out the way, and held her down, stopping her from helping them. She is some other girl, from our school. She is Dan's girlfriend I think. _Sky stopped talking, but Zed decided to carry on enlightening me of his opinions on what happened.

_Bitch. She could have hurt Sky. What was she doing, attacking Sky. If I ever get near her, I swear, I am going to make her sorry. God! Protecting her boyfriend I'd guess, and what a pair they are._

I blocked him out, weary of his pointless rages. It wasn't like we were ever going to get that chance of spending time with the girl.

Sky and Zed came out from the interrogation room, and we sat, In silence for Xav to come out. I put my head in my hands, and stared at my knees.

…

The sky outside darkened, and I felt the evening trickling past, night drawing over us. Finally, xav was lead out, an officer with his hand half holding him up.

"Okay there? I'd go to the doctors, have them check you over tomorrow. You don't want that nose setting wrong," he smiled, and strode off.

Another officer brought out Dan, and I could feel all my brothers stiffen, tense with him in the same proximity to any of us. He looked around at us, looking at each of us, straight in the eye, a faint smile playing across his lips. I could feel Zed bristling next to me, and placed my hand on his arm, restraining him. The boy stood there, waiting for something. It made me uneasy having him near me, and my body was screaming at me. All bells were ringing, clamouring in my head. I stepped backwards, unnerved at the extent my gift was protesting. I didn't know why, but this guy was dangerous. It was strange how intense the danger was. The danger wasn't for me, but similar to the feeling I get when my brother is in danger… but so much more acute. It was very strange.

I could feel the tension building, building and w I was waiting for it to come crashing down. I could feel my body, poised for flight, and had to take deep breaths to calm myself. Before anything could happen, they lead someone else into the room. She was a small girl, shoulders hunched in on herself, face lowered. Her hair stood out around her shoulders, a golden haze about her head. From the way Zed leant forward, blocking Sky from view, from the way the boy Dan stepped forward, almost possessively, I got the idea that this was Dan's girlfriend.

The policeman clapped her on the shoulder and half pushed her towards him. She stumbled slightly, but wasn't steadied. I frowned, surprised no one would even do that for her.

"Your girlfriend has been very helpful," the man said, addressing my brother's attacker. Was he trying to be helpful? The girl folded even further around her slight frame. Her boyfriend was glaring down at her. It scene was slightly disturbing, that someone as little and fragile could be partners with someone so obviously dangerous, imposing on all who were around him, the way that she received no little kindness from those around her. The boy took the girls arm and lead her away. As they turned the corner, I had a glimpse of her hair, flashing in the light. For some strange reason, the sight of her retreating back filled me full of an almost painful emotion, nostalgia for something I never had, a wish for something I didn't have. I shook my head, clearing it.

Yves clapped Xav on the back, gently propelling him towards the car. We all climbed in, the four benedict boys, and one girl. When we reached home, my mother was there, engulfing Xav in a huge hug. She reached up, and cradling his face, she inspected his hinjuries.

"Poor little boy," she crooned. My father came over and wrapped his arm around her, while questioning Zed about what had happened.

"Xav!" Crystal's voice rang out in the still air. And then she was running towards him, and she threw her arms around him, wrapping him in a kiss. Eventually he broke away with a wince, and shee seemed distraught she had even touched him

"Hey, honey, shush. It was worth it."

They walked towards the house, arms wrapped around each other. I smiled and followed their retreating backs.

…

We were all sitting slumped around the table, clutching cups of tea and coffee. Yves and phoenix were huddled up together, heads together, playing a game of cards. Xav and Crystal were sitting, arms entwined, talking to my father, about today. Sky, Zed, Trace and Diamond were in the sitting room, completely engrossed in each other. I sighed. Pushing back my chair, I walked to the door. My mother looked up, checking I was okay. I smiled back at her.

"I'm just going for a walk. Is that okay?"

"Sure honey. You're father and I are going out for a second, to get medicine, for Xav. He can't heal himself very effectively, without drawing suspicion that his bruises can heal so quickly."

"Okay mom. See you soon, hopefully."

And with that, I walked out the back door.

I walked toward the forest, on the mountain. There was a space I liked to sit, look at the stars, to dream. It looked magical, the trees such a dark colour, slightly menacing in their promise of fairy tales hidden in their branches. The snow had fallen, onto the ground, onto the boughs of the pines. I walked up the ascending ground, listening to the silence, the crunch of the snow against my boots barely audible in the quiet. I breathed in, deeply.

The branches were over my head now, and I walked, my feet finding the familiar path, the path I walked, to get away. I could see a light, in the murky gloom of the shelter of the trees, and I walked towards it. As the trees began to thin, I heard a noise, a muffled shriek, and I sped up, rushing towards the sound. I reached the clearing, and saw a girl, sitting in the middle. She was the embodiments of winter, a snow child. She was sitting in the snow, her white dress spread out around her. Her feet were bare, toes pointing forward. Her skin was incredibly pale, fair, almost blending into the surroundings. Her slightly upturned nose had a scattering of freckles across it, cinnamon across cream, nutmeg across milk. Her hair was spun gold, spread across her shoulders, the sun rising over a mountain, daffodils in the early spring. She raised her eyes to the sky, and they were an amazing stunning purple, a colour that you only ever get at the end of the day, in dusk.

She was beautiful, this snow child. I knew her, I realised. She was the girl from the police station, Dan's girlfriend. The voice in the back of my mind asked why she had screamed, but the wild, gorgeous girl transfixed me, and I ignored my gift, warning me of a danger…until I saw the huge black bear, lumbering towards her.

I froze, unable to believe what I could see. In a fleeting second, I wondered if the bear was simply greeting her, that in this place, with such a magical girl, maybe the normal rules didn't apply. But the look in her eyes as she stared at the enormous creature that was looming over her didn't bode well.

And then reality set in.

"Run! Move! Quick, go! I'll distract it." I jogged forward, frantically searching my mind for a way to save her. She sat there transfixed. I wondered whether she had even heard me.

"MOVE!" and when she still didn't react, I switched to telepathy. Hopefully, the little telepathic nudge would move her. _Please, you have to move. Run, move, leave. Go, go, go!_

She spun round, a gasp on her breath. Her eyes were wide as she found mine. _Your…your voice. It sounds…strange. Different. Why is it like that?_

Oh God. She was my soulfinder. Gravity switched. It was just me and her, connected by a gossamer thread, binding us forever together. She was mine.

"RUN! Get out the way," I was shouting, running towards her.

_I can't. my leg…. I can't feel my legs. _

_Move then, drag yourself away._ I seized a branch, using telekinesis, and brandished it in the air. I swung it once, and it clipped the bear on the shoulder. Again, this time in its middle. The bear growled, a low groan and turned and fled, into the black forest. As soon as I could no longer see its shadowy figure, I ran forward, to the girl I loved.

She was lying down. Motionless on the snow laden ground. Her feet were blue. I felt a surge of affection. She may have looked like a creature of light, stories woven together, but this girl was so very human. Tenderly, I bent down and scooped her up. She was tiny in my arms, as light as spun glass, and as fragile. I leant forward, and brushed a kiss against her forward. A murmur escaped her lips, and she shifted in my arms.

"It's okay. It's okay," I whispered. Slowly, as if not to wake her, I began to walk towards home. Her skin was like ice. I cupped her hands in my spare one, chafing them gently. I loved her so much already.

**Wow. okay, that one was pretty long too. I was going to write more, but I decided it was getting just TOO long.**

**I hoped you liked it, sorry if it didn't make any sense.**

**I'm not sure about this one, but it had to happen, for the plot to move on.**

**Review?**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**Thanks for the reviews… (well the one I got when I was writing this…) as always, please keep reading. I love finding out what you think. Well, next chapter I think. I think this one will be quite short, so I can get back to Will.**

**Disclaimer: Well, I tragically don't own Finding Sky, but, on the plus side, I do own about fifty thousand staples. And not one stapler.**

Violet

I was being carried. The faint rocking rhythm reminded me of being a child, carried from place to place. I looked up at the face of the person who was carrying me. I could make out that it was a man, my vision was hazy, as he drifted in and out of focus.

I stirred against his gentle hold, and he bent his face closer to mine.

"Shush. It's okay. It's okay," he murmured, and I relaxed. I leant the side of my head against his chest. He smelt nice, comforting, like wood smoke and rain. I sighed, and let myself drift away, my body held tightly by the tall, strong stranger. The stranger who perhaps wasn't as strange as I thought.

**Oh wait, ignore what I said about the whole only having one review. My email account is weird. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Also thanks to Bethen, who is a guest reviewer, and so I can't reply to.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**Wow, eighteenth chapter. Will, again. Hopefully this chapter will be quite long, though you never know when on word. It's kinda depressing, when it looks reasonably long on word, but is tiny on the account. Ahh well.**

**Disclaimer: Tragically, Finding Sky does not belong to me, although unfortunately I do own an incredible amount of odd socks. Oh cruel world.**

Will

I could see the light from our windows, streaming out, staining the snow orange. It was a welcome sight. The girl was moving less, coldness setting into her limbs. Hugging her to my chest, I internally pleaded to a deity that I had never prayed to before. I would give everything for this girl, even my life in return for hers. I needed her so much, but I would settle for just her life.

I reached the back door. Using my elbow, I slammed it against the door, begging them to let me in. Zed's face appeared at the window, and his eyes settled on my face. The door opened, creaking reluctantly.  
"What the hell Will? Where were you? Everyone went to bed hours ago. Mum and Dad still aren't back. Apparently there was a huge traffic jam where they are, and so they decided they would stay in Aspen. Who the hell is that?" his eyes alighted onto the girl I carried in my arms.

"I…found her in the forest. She's hurt."  
"I don't _care_ if she is hurt. Do you know who she is? She is the girlfriend of that bastard Dan, who attacked our brother. _She_ attacked _Sky_."

I looked at his glaring face, red with anger, "Zed, just shut up. Please just- shut up. Let me in."  
"No. I am not letting her anywhere near Sky. Why can't you get that in your head?"  
"Because she needs help. She's hurt. Zed, please," I implored him.  
"No Will. She is a nasty piece of work."  
"Zed, I found her in the middle of the woods, alone. She was freezing. I'm really scared for her."  
"Then take her to the hospital. They'll treat her there. I'm not letting her in. Go take her somewhere else."  
I spoke through my teeth, clenched tight, "We are coming in here Zed. Move out the way. She will have gotten worse by the time she gets to the hospital. She can't get any colder, Zed."  
"Will-"  
"She is my _soulfinder_ Zed. She is my soulfinder, and we are coming in now."  
Then, striding past him, I stormed into the house.

He followed behind me, "Will, are you sure? Really certain? How is that even possible? She is _years_ younger than you Will. Years. Can you explain that?"  
"I don't know why there are so many years between us Zed, but I know she is mine. She is mine and no one is going to take her from me."  
"Her boyfriend is strange Will. She had a boyfriend. What-"  
"Shut up Zed. I'm not in the mood for this. I can't take it."  
"I'm sorry Will. I'm just worried for us." He paused, "Don't wake Xav, Will. He'll feel obliged to help you and your soulfinder. Don't put him in that position."

Gently, I laid my tiny delicate soulfinder down onto the sofa. Kneeling beside her, I held her hand in mine. She lay so very still, that time almost stood still when I looked upon her. Laying my head against her middle, I turned my face towards her, watching her face.

We stayed like that for a long while, my eyes never leaving her face. As the night drew on, she grew restless, tossing, arms flailing. Her face was covered in a sheen of perspiration, and when I reached over to touch her head, it was burning. Her lips grew dry and chapped, and breathing rasping. She would cry out in her sleep, calling to the unseen spectres that I could not see, the shadows that haunted her dreams.  
"Mamma. Mamma! Mamma, please come back. Don't leave me. _Mamma!"_ she called for her mother frequently, begging her to come back to her. I sat, in torment, desperate to ease her suffering. There had been times I had wished I had my brothers powers, but never as desperately as I wished I had Xav's now. I stroked her hair, satiny against my fingers. It seemed to calm her slightly, and so I didn't stop. Suddenly her eyes opened, unseeing, glassy.

Slowly turning her head, her gaze alighted on me, and focused slightly.  
"Xav! Xav! It's you. I…I'm sorry…"  
"No, it's not Xav. It's me, Will. I know we have never met but-"  
"No, Xav! I'm sorry. I can't…. he's hitting you. Why is he doing this? Leave him alone! Stop Danny! Stop! Please Danny," her voice tailed of, and she dissolved into sobs. "No, no, no. stop, stop. Danny you'll hurt him. You can't hurt Xav, Danny. Please. No, I'm sorry. I'm so weak. Why am I so weak. I should stop him. I'm scared thought Xav. I'm sorry."

She was looking at me, imploring. "Please forgive me Xav. I should have stopped him."

She was looking at me, and I knew that the only way I could make her feel better was to pretend to be Xav. He would forgive her anyway. I knew that my brother was quick to forgive. Anyway, I knew from her little hallucination that she had done nothing wrong. She was too scared to stop them fighting, and who would blame her? It had seemed so violent that she must have been terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

I stroked the hair off her face. "It's okay honey. Its okay. No one cares."  
She wasn't appeased, even in her dreamlike state. "No, no, I should have helped intervened. I was so scared…" She said that a lot. Of what could have made this girl so afraid? "at least… at least I helped Sky. She would have been mown down. At least I…"

Her energy seemed to run out, leak away, and she sunk down on the cushions. I could feel myself trembling with anger. Zed had been so aggressive towards this little tiny delicate girl, attacking her for something she hadn't done. She had been trying to _save_ Sky. She probably had saved her, yet Zed would have happily let her freeze to death outside. I stared down at her face. She was very sick. Even I, with no medical knowledge knew that. I didn't know what I could do to save her. Would fates be so cruel to reveal my soulfinder to me, only to have me watch her waste away, fade out of life before my eyes. I stifled a sob. She would not die!

Her hands were so hot. They hadn't been this hot before. I could feel the fever radiating off her, flowing through her veins, yet her body seemed caught in the midst of violent shivers. She would thrash in a desperate attempt to shake off the sickness that had invaded her body, but when she did, she would moan, and clutch her arm. I leant forward, and gently tried to inspect it, she nearly shrieked in pain. I needed to help her, make her better, but I was scared of touching her, making her worse.

So I sat and watched her sink further into the grasps of the sickness that had caught her so violently. I sat and watched her creep closer to death.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**That chapter was going to be really long, but then I decided I needed to switch to Violet's point of view. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'd tell you I own Finding Sky, but then I'd have to kill you. (And it would be lying)**

Violet

_She was cradling me, carrying me in her arms. I was quite old, four or five, but I was tiny, a slight frame, bones like a birds, thin, light. She held me to her chest, pulled me close, hugged my tight. She walked with a sway in her walk, no matter her mood. She was a dancer, with balletic grace and a graceful manner. I had inherited her grace, but I learned the mannerism of being constantly posed on the brink of flight that she had never had. Of course, I developed that later._

_She was near tears as she crouched down on the stairs in the doorway. She kissed me lightly on the forehead, and bit her lip.  
"I love you darling. I'm sorry. I am, but I love Richard, and he loves me. He's my soulfinder, baby. I would do anything for him, honey, and he wants to start again. To be honest love, I do too. I love you more than anything, but I need to forget your father, to put him behind me. And this is the only way."_

_I looked at her, eyes wide. She smiled but it was tight, and strained. I smiled at her. I didn't understand. Why was she crying? I looked at the tears streaming down her face and frowned slightly, a dent forming between my eyes.  
"I love you darling," she stroked my forehead. I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, all I could see was her retreating back. _

_I called for her, begging her to turn around, but she didn't listen, didn't hear. Why wouldn't she turn?  
"Mamma! Mamma. Mamma, please come back. Don't leave me! _Mamma!_ But she didn't turn. I was alone._

My head was aching, fuzzy. I could feel myself shaking with the cold that had seeped into my bones. I rolled over, unable to lie still, fighting the chill that was sitting on my chest, pinning me down. I flung out my arm, but the pain overcame me, and I moaned, fighting back the tears. There was someone in the room with me, watching me. I opened my eyes, but I couldn't see. The black crowded my vision. A choked sob burst from my lungs.

Xav was there. He was in front of me. was that Danny? I squinted into the hazy corner of the room. Oh no. He was going to get hurt. Not again! And then Danny was hitting him, punching him, again and again. No. no. no, no, no. please no. STOP! And there was Sky. At least I helped her. I relaxed. The shadowy Danny had gone. The Xav was still there, but he looked hazy. He didn't look that much like Xav either.

It hurt so much. my ribs ached, pain lancing across them when I moved. My arm screamed every time I moved it. My leg hurt, and every inch of me hurt. It was constant, the pain always there. It was following me. my body felt like it was suspended, floating. I felt almost sick with the intensity of the agony I was in. The blackness that filled in either side of my vision crowded me. It hurt so much. it hurt so much. it hurt so much.

It would be so easy, I could tell, to just let go. It would have been so easy to let the blackness take over, to fall back into it. It would be so easy. Reality was so harsh. The light was so bright it hurt my eyes. I could feel myself falling. I didn't fight it. Danny hated my, my father was not my father. Nobody was ever going to forget that Danny's attack was my fault. Nobody would ever love me, as a friend, as a daughter, as a girlfriend. Nobody would ever love me for me. I had nothing left to hold on for. So I let myself fall.

**Hope you liked. Review, as always. Bye.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**My system is too do my homework first and write this afterwards. Hah! That didn't exactly work. Enjoy, xx**

**Disclaimer: Well, I could tell you I own Finding Sky, but I'm not going to , because I don't.**

Will

She stopped moving so much around two. I sat, motionless, desperate. I clutched her hand like a lifeline, trying to hold her to life. I didn't even know her name. This couldn't be the end. I couldn't lose her so quickly after I found her. Her breathing was shallow, and there were long pauses before each breath. I didn't know anything about medicine, but she obviously had some form of hypothermia. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't get Xav. I couldn't do it. I loved Xav too much to make him do that. I knew that he would do it if I asked even if he hated it. But as I watched the girl I love slip out of life, I began to wonder how much I would do for this girl.

As I watched her, I noticed the little details about her. The lilac of her closed eyelids. The little curve of her nose, as it turned upwards slightly. The way shadows collected on her, in the hollow of her collar bone, in the dip in the channel between her nose and mouth. Her lips, perfectly rounded, slightly parted. The arc of her neck, flowing down into the curve of her chest. The fine gold of her hair. Everything about this girl was gold and silver. She was priceless, like someone had carved her out of the metal. But this girl was so much more.

The freckles scattered across her nose were gold, her skin had a silver sheen to it. Now that I was noticing things, they all came in a rush. The reflections of light, golden. The half-moon crescents on each nail, silver. And silver, shining across her wrists and arms, scars. They had been slashed into her skin, angry, fast. Some were slower, sad. I could imagine it, blood welling up in gashed, spilling like tears. I stroked them, each one individually with my thumb. It didn't feel enough, so I bent my head, and kissed them, one by one.

"That's why Dan started the fight, you know. He was jealous because he found me hugging Violet."  
I spun to face Xav, who was standing behind me. "What?"  
"I saw her scars. She got upset, really upset. I think she thought I was judging her. I wasn't though. No one could know Violet and think badly of her."

Violet. My soulfinder's name was Violet. It was beautiful. Like her. It suited her. Her and her stunning purple eyes. I smiled, and ran the side of my hand down her face.  
"I love her you know. I don't give a damn about who or what her boyfriend did. It wasn't like it was her fault. And anyway, it's not like they're going to be together long. Not when she finds out she has you as a soulfinder. You may have to explain though. I'm not sure whether she knows. She seemed pretty oblivious."

I was so happy. She wasn't being blamed. To be honest, I probably would have made Xav realise she hadn't done anything. I wasn't going to let her hurt. Especially when I knew there was no reason for it.  
"You're not…not going to give her a hard time are you? 'cos you may be my brother, but I don't want her even thinking about it again."  
He rolled his eyes at me, but I could see he looked pretty cross. "Don't be such an idiot Will. I really really like this girl, and I would never do anything to hurt her. She is one of the nicest people I know. And I've only ever met her properly twice."

He grinned at me, and winked at me. "Now, move out my way. Let me heal her already."  
He pushed past me, and knelt by the head. He spoke in a hushed tone, "right then Darlin'. Don't worry honey, I'm gonna make you better, kay?"  
She murmured, and he laid his hand against her head. An intense look of concentration crossed his face, and he stiffened. They sat there, boy and girl, for a while. After a bit, Violet sighed, and her body relaxed. A look of peace formed on her face. It softened her features, and a wave of joy passed through me. She was so beautiful. I was so lucky. I loved her.

He laughed at my face.  
"True love, right? Is she hurt anywhere else?"  
I thought back. "Yeah, I think she's hurt her arm."  
"Okay…Yep, broken. Fix that…"

Her arm took a while, and when he had finished, he was white in the face. I reached out and steadied him.  
"God, Xav. are you okay? I don't think you should have done that. I mean…I don't know."  
He laughed. "Wow, the two most selfless people in creation have managed to end up soulfinders. I wonder how that is going to play out. How are you going to cope, I wonder," he sniggered.  
"Oh shut up." I hit him lightly on the arm. He hit me back. It was practically the morning, and I could see dawn creeping over the horizon. Me and Xav sat down, our backs against the sofa, shoulder to shoulder. Xav, the only person able to sleep everywhere and anywhere, immediately crashed.

I resumed my earlier position, staring at the soulfinder that I had finally found. And I was so happy.

**Hope you liked it. :-D**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**Annnnd here's the next one! I hope that everyone likes it. Please keep reviewing, its great to know you all like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Finding Sky, although I do own two cats that think it is a good idea to start trying to eat your hair at ****_two o'clock_**** in the morning. Arrrrrrrrhhhhh!**

Violet

The light was shining in through the windows. I could feel the warmth warming my face, dappled, patchy. I smiled and rolled over slightly, arms reaching around the cushion under my head. I heard a light exhalation, like a little laugh. I could hear other noises, creaks on the floorboards above me, a little pattering of footsteps. I was on the upstairs floor though. Wasn't I?

Somebody was laughing near my head. A girl, with a sweet, high voice.  
"Zed! Zed, hey stop. Zed that tickles! Stop!" she giggled.  
"That tickle Sky? Beg for mercy. Don't shake your head. Beg for-" The boy's voice cut off.  
"Who's that, Will?" The girl asked.  
"Her name is Violet. She is in the same year as you." Someone else was talking.  
"Violet? Dan Mayhew's boyfriend? That Violet? What's she doing on the sofa?"

"Well, Will left out a little detail about this girl. Somehow, even though she is the same age as us, apparently this is Will's soulfinder."

She gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth. "Oh Will. I can't believe it. Your soulfinder!"  
Someone laughed a deep rumble in the back of their throat. What was a soulfinder? _I love him and he loves me. He is my soulfinder, baby. _Where was that from? It made me sad.

I let a little murmur. Immediately, the voices stopped. Someone took my hand.  
"Hey honey. How are you?" I opened my eyes, squinting against the bright light. I sat up, and had to bite down hard on my lip, suppressing a cry, when my ribs gave a protest. There was a boy, crouched beside me. he smiled at me, a wide beam spreading across his face.  
"Hey there. I'm Will."

I smiled back at him, wary. "Where am I?"  
"You're still in Wrickenridge. I am Will Benedict. You are staying at our house. This is my brother Zed, and his girlfriend, Sky Bright."  
"I know who you are," I told him. Of course I did. They were almost minor celebrities here in our tiny town. I knew all of their names. Especially the boy who knelt next to me.  
"Why am I here? I remember a couple of things. The bear… I was in the snow. It was nice. But then it came along. You…you were there." It was hard, separating the reality from dream. I brought my hands up to my head, massaged it.

I could hear a noise in the background. It was like the fuzzy reception on a radio, between stations. There was a conversation, between two people, but no one was talking. I shook my head, trying to dislodge it, but no avail. _…His soulfinder….impossible… years apart…soulfinders?_

There was that word again. Soulfinder. It dredged back memories. _Walking away. A sad smile on her face. A man standing at the end of the street, waiting. Entwined arms. He's my _soulfinder._ I'm sorry._

The boy was talking. "And I know this may be confusing, but you're my Soulfinder. D'you know what that means?" he looked at my nonplussed face and laughed. "Basically, we are like the perfect match. Soulfinders. soulmates. Destined to be together. It is a bit like a twisted love story, defined by fate."

_I love him, darling. More than anything. He wants to start again. And to be honest, I do too. Her back. Leaving me behind._

And I remembered. And I didn't want to.

Oh God.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**Hope you liked the last chapters. Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Disclaimer: at the moment, I have a mother who is on a mission to find nutella (ME make her!), a younger sibling who has an allergy to housework, two cats who think it is funny to periodically attack you, including the one who decided my feet were the perfect thing to chew, but NO Finding Sky ownership. All in all, nope, I do not own Finding Sky.**

Will

I explained to her, a smile across my face. I couldn't help but do it, as I looked at the girl who was my soulfinder. I had never felt so happy. Her face was still blank, her eyes wide. After I had finished, she closed her eyes briefly, in a moment of pain. I reached out, to comfort her.  
"So, what are you thinking?"

She glanced at me, panic written across her face. She was shaking, light tremors running across her body.  
"No. I can't. No no, soulfinders are bad. NO!" I tried to comfort her but she shook me off, violently, horrified. "No. I love Dan. Danny. Danny. Where is he? _Danny,"_ she called out, desperate. She was sobbing, curled up into a ball, little cries escaping her lip.

I spoke gently, as if she was a wild animal. "It's okay. You are safe, even if you don't think it. I'm sorry. I don't know where Dan is." I found it hard to even say his name. I spat it out. Why would she want him? Why did she have to have a boyfriend?

"Leave me alone. I want Danny. I hate you. You are not my soulfinder. I don't want a soulfinder, and I hate you. Soulfinders never bring happiness. They bring misery and hate. Dan is my happiness, my perfect match. Leave me alone."  
And with that, she turned her face away.

I felt numb inside. She hated me. She love the boy Dan, who was ruthless, cruel and angry, at the world. She didn't love me, and didn't want a soulfinder. I stood up. I ignored Sky and Zed's shocked expressions, and walked into the kitchen. Once there, I sat down, and put my head in my hands. My soulfinder hated me. She had said that she loved another person. Her contempt for me was staggering, her disgust of the idea of being a soulfinder with me obvious, and not even concealed. And all I could think of was how beautiful she was, when she was telling me she hated me.

…

Someone clapped me on the back. Uriel. He smiled sympathetically.  
"Hey man. Zed called me. Told me that you were upset, but he couldn't comfort you, 'cos apparently you are pretty pissed off at him right now. Said he couldn't help, because he was watching someone. So prepared to tell me what's going on?"

"Well, my soulfinder hates me, has decided she loves the boy who beat Xav up. And Zed has decided she is a psychotic killer." I tried to inject humour into my tone, an ironic expression on my face.  
He wasn't fooled. "Yeah, Zed told me about it as I was driving over."  
"Then why-?"  
"I wanted to see how much you were going to pretend it didn't bother you. I'm not going to pretend, it must be really hard for you. Is she a psychotic killer?"

"No. she couldn't hurt someone, even if she tried. Zed thinks there is a threat of her hurting Sky, but I can tell you, even without my gift, this girl is never going to hurt anyone. Not even me."

"Will, I wouldn't worry. I don't think that girl in there hates you. She obviously has a problem with soulfinders. She didn't freak out until you mentioned soulfinders, did she? I think she probably has something in her past. After all, not all soulfinders end in happiness. Sometimes people are hurt. Don't worry."

I looked at my older brother. "When did you grow so wise?" I asked him.  
He laughed. "I've had a lot of time to think. I guess I just got good at it."  
I had never felt so close to my brother. Everyone always like Uriel. He was never one in an argument. Yet, I had never really been that close to him, generally feeling I had more of a connection to Victor, who was so similar, and close in age, or Xav, who shared my attitude to life, and sense of humour. I had never realised how much my second oldest brother cared about his soulfinder. But now I knew.  
"Soulfinders eh? Who the hell came up with such an awful idea?"

He laughed. "Don't be ridiculous Will. Soulfinders are a…gift that we have. The people who have them are so blissfully happy, and the people who don't have something to hope for. In somewhere where hope and love are not common, having a soulfinder gives you something that you otherwise would not have. The perfect other half of you Will."

"But she doesn't love me. She doesn't even remotely seem to like me."  
"She will. I think maybe you should go out for a little, separate yourself from the situation. Come out with me, up to the mountain. We can leave Zed here, watching her."

I looked in amazement at my brother. I smiled at him widely, and inclined my head.  
"Come on then. Let's go!" he said, clapping his hands together.

I walked cautiously into the living room. Violet was sitting on the end of the sofa, in the same position she had been when I had left. When she saw me, her eyes widened, and she cringed away from me. She hated me so much; she couldn't even bear to see me. I looked at her and smiled slightly.  
"Hey." And then to Zed, "Hey Zed. Uriel and I are going up to the mountain. Could you…keep an eye on..?" He inclined his head briefly, and shifted back into his position of watchfulness over Sky. Uriel came down, clattering down the stairs, followed by what seemed like the rest of my family. He lightly punched Zed in the shoulder.

"Right. Well, Yves is coming, but Xav, Crystal and Phee are staying here. Zed, you should come. Xav will guard out little house on the prairie." Zed shook his head, either at the strangeness of Uriel's comment, or at the idea of leaving. "C'mon, Zed. It will be fun. You haven't been out and I'm sure everyone could do with a little break. You didn't get to do your lesson yesterday anyway. C'mon! UP."

And with that, he hauled Zed up and dragged him out, leaving the rest of us to drift behind in his wake. I looked down at my soulfinder. She had a sketchbook tucked under her arm, and a couple of pencils on the floor. I wondered where she had got them.

"I'll be back soon." I glanced at Sky, from where she was sitting in the window seat.  
"I'll take care of her. She'll be fine." She smiled gently, first at me, and then Violet. I could hear Xav's approach, down the stairs, and grinned back.

"Okay, I'll be back soon," I repeated myself. Then, I bent down, gave Violet's hair a quick ruffle, and ran after my brothers.

**I am SO sorry I didn't update sooner. I guess you could say my homework caught up with me. :-p**

**Anyway. I hope you all liked it. Sorry.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**And I'm back again. Though, knowing me, this probably won't be posted till weeks after I write this particular bit. I am sooo bad at updating.**

**Disclaimer: If I had written Finding Sky and co., do you REALLY think I would be on fanfiction? Really?**

Violet

The pain that crossed his face when I told him I hated him sent twinges echoing back through my heart. I shook it away. It seemed ridiculous that just an expression from a boy I barely knew could affect me so drastically. Ridiculous.

I was just so scared. Memories were hitting me, hard, one after another, somehow ten times worse than blows. Walls came slamming down in my head. My lips move for me, forcing out the spiteful words. I hated him. Didn't I? _Yes!_ said a voice in my head. But the rest of me didn't. my body wanted to stop, to apologise for the words. It felt so wrong to tell this lovely boy I hated him. But something firmly planted in my mind kept on shouting.

He stood up, the couch groaning slightly from the release in pressure. His face was blank again. Stiffly, he walked out of the living room. I watched him leave, even though it hurt to see him leave. _Stupid, stupid_.

The room was silent. I could hear the slight inhalations coming from across the room. I glanced up, from under my eyelashes. Zed was sitting on the arm of another sofa, a phone in his lap. Sky was sitting on a window seat, legs curled up underneath her. She was watching me with open curiosity. When she met my gaze, she blushed slightly, and turned her attention to Zed. He smiled up at her, then bent his head, and resumed texting. She kept watching him, eyes caressing his face, gently protective. I smiled slightly at the irony of Zed Benedict being watched over by his tiny girlfriend.

The sun was steaming through the big bay window. It alighted in Sky's gossamer hair, turning it to pure sunlight. I felt a surge of amazement. This little girl, though admittedly in stature only, was a being of light and air. So unlike me, it sent ripples of pain through my frame. I wanted so much to be like this girl, yet when her gentle body was possessed by good, mine was shot through with evil.

I wanted to draw her so much. she fascinated me, with her blond hair and golden skin. Her deep blue eyes, rimmed with long black eyelashes. The full curve of her pink lips. I would start with the curve of her cheekbone, melting into her strong jaw line. The shadows under her chin, and in the dip of her temples. The light tracery of blue veins. Then I would add in the finer features. The bright dancing light in her eyes, the intensity of her facial expressions as she looked at Zed. It was beautiful, to see the love, reflected so strongly on her face, identical to the one Zed wore.

I could feel my hands clenching slightly, cramping with my need to draw. Suddenly, something blocked my vision. Zed was standing in front of Sky, shielding her slight body from my view. Oh, I must look pretty threatening. Staring at the girl he loves, manically. Well so much for firs impressions. I met his dark eyes, cringing slightly.  
"Could I…could I have some paper? And a pencil?"

His eyebrows drew together, but he stood up from the instinctual crouch he was in, and stalked out the room, throwing an anxious glance at Sky over his shoulder. Soon he was back, a notebook in one hand, a bunch of pencils in the other. He thrust them into my hands, and went back into his protective stance over Sky.

The paper was beautiful, thick and creamy. It was very good quality, especially compared to the cheap shiny paper I usually used. I bought it with the money I was given for food, or with my wages from the shop I worked in at the weekend in Aspen. I needed to get a new job now, I guessed. Picking up the 4B pencil I felt most comfortable using, I sketched a few brief lines on the paper, to test the paper, and began a practise sketch. I drew my left hand, in the clenched fist it was in. so immersed I was in the drawing, I lost myself in the world I was in. my subconscious picked up the bang of a door, and the murmur of voices in the room adjourning the one I was in, but I ignored it, happy in my little world. until Will walked in.

I sat up straighter, sketchbook clenched under my arm. The pencils I had balanced in my lap spilled onto the floor, save the one I had, tucked into my fist. He walked in, a smile tentative on his generally happy face. I glanced up, through my eyelashes, my eyes automatically widening. He looks at me, and said, quietly, "Hey."

He turned to Zed and spoke to him. I lowered my head, to give them the privacy they required. I doubted they would want me in the conversation. They were talking about what was about to happen, a brother that had just joined them, Uriel I believed, reeling off a list of names. Xav's name was in the list. Apparently he was staying at the house. What if he hated me?

The older brother grabbed Zed, and hauled him out the door. Will stayed where he was. He glanced at Sky.  
"I'll be back soon."  
She smiled back at him. "I'll take care of her. She'll be fine."

I could hear someone's footsteps coming down the stairs. Will obviously heard it too, and straightened up. A smile stretched across his face, wider than usual.  
"Okay, I'll be back soon."

He kissed me briefly on the forehead, and turned on his heel, and turned and ran. I watched his retreating back with a pang through my heart.

…

Xav's head poked around the door. When he saw me and Sky, his face split into a huge grin. Turning, he yelled up the stairs.  
"Crystal! Get your arse down here! Get UP!"  
An answering yell replied, consisting of the most swear words in one sentence I had ever heard. Many I didn't even now could go together. I felt a smile creep across my face.  
"I don't give a damn. C'mon, there's someone I want you to meet."

He spun around and grinned at me.  
"Hey there gorgeous. How're ya doing?"  
I returned his grin, "I'm doing great thanks. You?"  
"Well, I have been better, but now you are here to entertain me. That and keep my grouchy girlfriend from attacking me," he winked.

"I heard that," an annoyed voice came from the hall. A stunningly beautiful girl walked in, hands rubbing her eyes. I blinked, and looked up at her, marvelling at her extreme height. She made me seem minuscule, more so than usual. Another girl followed her, smaller than the first, but still towering over me. I was guessing that these were two of the Benedict's girls.

"Oh, you're tiny," the first exclaimed, walking over and giving Xav a kiss on the top of his head.  
He smiled up at her, from his seat on the sofa arm.  
"She is, isn't she?"  
The second girl piped up, Phoenix I was guessing from my prior knowledge of the Benedicts.  
"The only girl going to give Sky any competition, I bet."

Sky gave her a glare from her window seat. Leaning back, she picked up a book, and began to read. The other three began a conversation, sprawled across the surrounding sofa and floor. Turning my attention back to the sketch pad, I continued to draw. I drew her jaw bone first, the shadows collecting under it shaded. I quickly outlined her face shape, and features. I spent a long time focused on her eyes, trying to capture the intensity she held there, for Zed. When I had finished, I shaded it lightly, trying not to create too many shadows. No shadows collected around this girl.

"Is that me?" a voice came from my shoulder. I turned to face Sky, and nodded.  
"It's really good. Like my parents are artists, and that is REALLY good."

I smiled at her. "Thank you. I love to draw."  
"It's you when you look at Zed, Sky," Phee informed her, standing next to me, looking at my drawing with her head on one side. She looked at me, a grin wide across her face. "Will you do me?"

"Sure," I said, pulling her over towards the window. She sat on the floor by the window seat. She placed her hands over her arms, and leant forward on her knees. Turing her heads to the side, she exposed the graceful arch of her neck. Her dark brown hair was pulled up, into a messy bun. Strands fell forward, curling around the groove of her cheekbone, and definite line of her jaw. She stayed almost frozen while I was drawing, though constantly talking. Her eyes sparkled. I nodded to her, telling her I had finished. She beamed at me, and I felt myself immediately liking this quite reserved girl.

She leapt to her feet, and ran to my side. Leaning forward, her smile grew even wider, as she watched me smudge to pencil with the side of my finger, before handing it to her. She clutched it to her chest, before running towards Sky, holding it out to show her. They both examined it, laughing and talking. I could feel myself relax even more, slipping onto the floor, back against the cusions.

Xav and Crystal entered, carrying cups of coffee, tea and plates of toast, thickly buttered. Xav danced around the room, distributing them between us. Crystal placed a plate down next to me, handing me a cup.  
"Tea?" she asked, and without waiting for a nod, "what were you doing?"

"Turns out Violet is a budding artist," Sky replied, handing Crystal the drawings.  
She examined it, smiling, and then turning back to me, asked, "Will you do me one?"  
"Of course," I replied. She grabbed Xav's arm, and pulled him over to me.

He frowned. "Wha-?"  
"Violet is going to draw us. What do you want us to do?"  
"Um… okay, well, sit down maybe? Just be natural."

Xav pulled Crystal onto the arm of the sofa, his back resting against it, Crystal in between his braced arms. His legs were outstretched, all ten miles of them. Crystal rested against his chest, turning to look up at him. He looked down at her, adoration in his eyes. She laughed at him, and he swiftly kissed her on the nose.

"Hey, stop moving. How do you expect me to draw you if you don't stay still?" I mock scolded them.  
"Sorry," they chorused.  
Sky and Phee gravitated towards me, and stood and watched me draw. When I had finished, we all sat down, and ate toast and drank tea. Xav and Crystal laughed and joked continually. I was getting the impressions they were the jokers in the family.

We spent the entire day, me drawing on demand, and them just messing about. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. I had never felt so much at home. But strangely I felt like there was a huge hole in my side, a missing jigsaw piece to our happy image. I tried to ignore the little voice chatting at the back of my mind, telling me that the missing part would return with the boy I had told I hated. Who claimed to be something that tore my family apart.

Laughs brought me back into the present, drawing my attention to the darkening horizon. A thunder storm was imminent. It also seemed the boys who had left this morning had also returned. A key in the lock. A door slammed open. Sky leapt to her feet, grasping the first drawing I did to her chest, and ran towards the sound.  
"Zed!"

There was a slightly queasy feeling in the bottom of my stomach. I tried to tell myself that it was dread at the return of Will Benedict. It was difficult, though, to ignore my heart that was rejoicing, and my head that told me, maybe it wasn't so much dread at seeing him, but excitement.

**Well, I hope you liked it. I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, I am really awful at getting on and writing the story. Bad train of thought. Thanks to sevenofdiamonds, who reminded me I actually had a story. Finally it is here! Sorry it to so long.**

**Bye!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

**Next one…**

**Disclaimer: look, I am ****_kinda_**** bored with writing these. If you haven't already got that I own Finding Sky, then I do not think you ever will. So for the last time, I do NOT own Finding Sky.**

Will

I felt better. After an hour on the slopes, all my problems seemed to be put into proportion. At least my soulfinder wasn't trapped in an almost cult, and hadn't been kidnapped by someone who had a vendetta against us. Thinking about it, the Benedict's hadn't had the most amazing luck with their girls.

I thought about the girl waiting at the house. Even when I was enjoying myself, doing something I loved to do, my heart pined after her. I realied how readily I was willing to admit I loved her. I love Violet Miller.

Yves laughed at the expression on my face. "Soulfinders, eh? I know that look. C'mon, we can go back now. It's about to rain anyway."

We gathered up my family and set of, back to the house.

…

Zed was laughing at Uriel, who was struggling to get the key into the door. Finally it gave, and he fell forward from his braced position against the door. Even I gave a laugh at that. Uriel stood up, brushing off his ruffled pride.

There was a shrill cry from the living room. "Zed!"  
We all tensed; worried for a split second about why Sky was calling out. But then she came flying around the corner of the hallway, and flung herself into his arms. She kissed him, hard, before, placing her feet back onto the ground.  
"Look, look at this. Violet drew it."

Zed took the proffered piece of paper, slightly crumpled from the embrace. Everyone looked over his shoulder at the drawing that covered it. It was Sky. Her delicate features stood out from the paper, so obviously her, it was slightly alarming. It could have been an image, apart from the fact the drawing captured something a photograph never would. It was amazing.

I said, in a muted voice, "Violet drew this?"  
She nodded, beaming. "It's great isn't it?" I nodded in response, and smiled. She grabbed Zed's hand, and pulled him into the living room, the rest of us following.

Violet looked up at me through her eyelashes. She smiled, filling my heart with a warmth I had never felt before. I reached over and ruffled her hair. "Hey there."  
"Hey," she replied, her smile growing. I sat down next to her, leaning against the sofa with her, legs sprawled out. Her body relaxed slightly when my skin brushed hers, the muscles loosening the taut position I hadn't realised they were in.

She pulled the sketchpad further into her lap. Head on one side, she turned to another page, and kept on drawing. I watched each little part of her as she drew. The tilt of her head, the smooth line of her neck, flowing into her shoulder. The curve of her wrist, as she drew out the outline of a face. She was so beautiful. She glanced up, a quick darting look, accompanied by a smile, flitting across her face, before it returned to the look of intense concentration.

"So you draw?" I asked her.  
"Yeah," she replied. "Always have. Its something I can lose myself in." she looked up, almost anxious for my answering smile.

"What are you drawing now?"  
"Wait and see." So I waited. I looked at her angelic fave, the little crinkle between her eyes as she stared at the page. Every now and again, she would glance up, looking at my face, scrutinising my features. After a while, she sat back, beaming. She held out the image. On it, looking back at me was my face, staring out of the paper. On my face, I wore an expression of devotion and an intense look of love. I recognised the look I had seen my brothers wear so often, reflected on my face. In my eyes, there was a reflection of her, looking back at me, with a similar expression.

Leaning my head against hers, I whispered, "I get the feeling that you might finally have an idea of what I feel for you. Am I right?"  
Confusion played across her face. "Yes. I think I know now. And maybe…I might feel the sa-" her face closed off, and pain darted across it. She shook her head hard. "Never mind."

I sighed, but smiled back. I was growing on her. And that was something.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

**Um nothing really to say… Enjoy!**

Violet

He was watching me out the corner of his eye. And I was him. Now and again, we would lock eyes, and both blush and look away. Mentally, a voice in my mind screamed at me, questioned what I was doing. But the little voice didn't sound like me. so I ignored it, even when the volume increased, causing my head to ache, sharp stabbing pain between my eyes.

I was drawing, pencil etching lines onto the paper, framing his kind open face. I longed for oil pastels, to bring the essence of Will to this picture. But I made do. When I shyly offered it out to him, his reaction made my heart soar. The fact that he was so pleased with it made me ridiculously happy. It made me so happy I could make him happy. I felt like if I could only do this for the rest of my life, then it would be a life well spent. The voice chided, appealed, howled at me. It wanted me to turn away, to tell him I hate him again. and I just couldn't do that.

_What about Danny?_ It asked, slyly. And I couldn't reply. Because what about Danny. I loved him. Didn't I?

The thought had me sitting bolt upright. I loved Danny. This was implanted deeply within me, into my core. So why did I care so much about this boy sitting next to me, so close our shoulders brushed with every movement? Every touch was like fire, blazing across my skin, however insignificant. _It's because he's your soulfinder_, a voice told me, a different one to the first. This one was softer, a part of me. Unlike the first, it felt like it was my mind. The first was strange, alien.

But he wasn't my soulfinder. Soulfinders brought hate, abandonment. Please don't let this boy be my soulfinder. _Please._ I couldn't live with that kind of pain again.

The rain was streaming down the window. It warped the outside world, turning the cosy home into a safe haven. It was strange how at home I felt in this house; something I had never felt in my home. I sat back, glancing around the room. All of the Benedicts were here, apart from the oldest, Trace and his wife Diamond, and the mother and father. The brother closest in age to Will kept glancing at me in curiosity, veiled intensity for knowledge. He had arrived shortly after Will had come back from the slopes, dripping wet, showing signs of the storm outside. Victor. The one whose work was so secret.

They took up so much space, these Benedicts. They were all so huge. Some used their size to intimidate, like the Victor, or Zed. Will however, was perfect. He wasn't too tall, even when he was towering over me. It was just so obvious he wouldn't hurt anyone. Danny, who was far surpassed in height compared to Will, was ten times more threatening. Even when he would tell you he loved you. Even when you replied.

Stop thinking about him. You mustn't. It's BAD. You are bad. Why do you do this to him? Stop thinking about it.

The sky outside was black, rolling clouds barely visible against the black. I looked at my watch, and smiled ruefully. It wasn't even four. Apparently the parents weren't going to make an appearance, claiming it was due to the weather. When this news was heard, it was received scornfully, comments of "making use of the time alone" and "trying to avoid us." I heard this, bewildered. If you had a loving family, why would you go out of your way to avoid them? I would spend every waking moment with them. But then again, it seemed that if you don't have something, you tend to want it, but if you have it, you don't seem to appreciate it. And I sure as hell didn't have love.

I looked up to see Will staring at me, worry plain across his face.  
"You ok?" He asked tentatively. I nodded in response. Sky gasped a little exhalation. "Oh, you haven't changed since yesterday. I'm sorry!"  
This comment was met by a growl from Zed, proclaiming his annoyance of Sky's apology.  
"C'mon," she said, grabbing my hand.

I was led out of the room by the girl, barely reaching my height. Zed must have said something to her I didn't hear, because she stiffened, and spun on her heels.  
"For God's sake Zed, it's not like she is going to hurt me, is it? Why the hell would I have to be careful? You really need to work on your trust issues."  
And she turned back around, and stormed out of the room, dragging me behind her.

She led me up to a room on the far side of the house. Once there, she began pulling out pieces of clothing from a draw. I caught them as they flew towards me. she chattered as she assaulted me with flying pieces of clothing, "It's lucky you're my size. I mean, you are almost the exact same size as me. It's strange we never had a nice bonding over height complaints, with you in the same year and everything. About that, I wonder whether…" she trailed off, lost in thought.

Suddenly she broke out of her trance, turning to me. "Are you going to put those on?" she asked pointedly. I blushed, and shook out the top and jeans I had in my arms. She chattered on as she wandered around the bedroom. It was comforting, listening to her meaningless talk. She was talking because she wanted to, not because she felt obliged, or had something vital to say.

I smiled absentmindedly, and pulled the dress over my head. A twinge of pain echoed in my ribcage with the movement. A sharp gasp burst through Sky's lips, and I turned to Sky, worried. Had I done something wrong? A voice rang through my head, painfully familiar. _Oh God. Oh my God. _She was staring at my uncovered body, shock written across her face. Her hand was at her mouth, and her eyes were wide, horrified.

Zed burst into the room, rushing to Sky. I held up the clothes I had in my hands, attempting to shield myself from him. Without effect. Following him, his brothers all ran into the room. They all formed what seemed to barrier against me.  
Zed was asking Sky whether she was ok, what I had done to her, but the question died on his lips. Everyone was staring at me, their expressions mirroring Sky's.

I followed their gaze. My body was discoloured, varying shades of purple, black and green. My ribs were a violent shade of purple, swollen and tender. So that was the pain. Bruises traced themselves down my arms, echoes of my father's and Danny's anger. Bruises encircled my wrists, handprints in green ink. My legs and waist were the same, trails of pain swirled over my body. I stared at the marks, sickly fascinated. I would do it in water-colour, to show the ever-changing nature of the body. They were skin deep, splattered across my skin. I would show the bruises leading up, obscured by underwear…

I realised with a horrified shock that I was standing in the middle of Sky Bright's and possibly Zed's bedroom, with six boys and a couple of girls staring at me. In my underwear. My face flushed, and I backed away. Will raised his eyes to mine.  
"Who did that to you?" His voice was filled with revulsion.  
"Please… don't… I can't-"

Sky spoke from her position behind the huge boys, "Right, everyone-Out. We'll talk about this in a moment, when Violet's changed. We need to have a conversation, about everything."

The boys murmured their assent, and walked out the door, glancing backwards. I felt that there was a hidden message in her words, unseen by me. I quickly changed, and followed the now silent Sky downstairs. I felt sick. Nothing was ever going to be the same. They had seen my deepest, most shameful secret. I couldn't hide it anymore. And in the back of my mind, I wondered why it bothered me so much that Will was going to hate me now. Now that he knew I was evil.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Will

I felt sick. Seeing those marks across her skin- it had never felt so furious. Everytime I had ever wanted to hurt someone so much, all rolled into one were insignificant compared to this. When I had found my little brother, Yves, curled into a ball in the bathroom, because "the other boys said I was a girl, like my name", or when Zed was excluded because he knew the truth about the teacher in school, or the most recent yet, seeing Xav beaten up by the boyfriend of my soulfinder; they were _nothing_. I wasn't usually violent, the peacemaker between my brothers, and so this need to make someone pay for what they had done was new to me. I sat at the kitchen table, head in hands. How could someone have done that to her? She was the most defenceless thing I had ever met, yet someone seemed to find the need to beat the living crap out of her. Why?

The worst thing was not seeing the bruises across every part of her, seeing the stiff way in which she moved, caused by the violent marks, but the way she looked at them. They weren't a new thing to her. She greeted them with a rueful recognition, without shock. Someone had done this to her before. Numerous times, I was willing to bet. She looked at them from a distance, with curiosity, like I might look at my hand. And I hated it so much.

Zed sat down opposite from me, shock plainly written across his face. I realised with a twinge of humour, that everything he had thought about Violet was wrong, every little assumption he had made was wrong. Xav stood next to me, worry in his posture. He knew Violet like me, and this revelation hurt him as well. My other brothers sat down, or stood around the table. There was silence, until Victor spoke.  
"She is definitely your soulfinder? Even though you are in separate year, and are separate ages?"

I nodded, confusion written plainly across my face. I didn't understand it either.  
"She has no idea about savants. I know that. We need to explain it to her. I just don't know how."

Victor nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe a demonstration. It is hard to ignore the evidence. And we know from Sky that an explanation first ends up getting you hit by a shopping bag." He smiled slightly at her, showing he meant no offence. "Maybe Yves? His power is pretty hard to deny."

When we had all agreed, we heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I could recognise Violet's from the two. Sky appeared by the doorway, Violet standing slightly behind her. I looked at her, and smiled, softly, not to scare her. she smiled back, and walked over to me. She sat down next to me, arm touching mine. She was so little, dwarfed by me. she was a perfect miniature glass figurine, tiny, complete, fragile, beautiful. I squeezed her arm.

"There's something we need to tell you," Vic told her. "Yves?"

Yves leant forward, and, looking her in the eye, began to talk.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Violet

Will was next to me. I was embarrassed how much that excited me. His brothers were talking to me, and I had to bite my lip to keep my attention on them. All I wanted to do was stare at him.

They were about to tell me something important. I knew that. They were all on edge. Will's hand was on my arm, a gesture I knew was meant to be reassuring. It wasn't working. The touch of his skin on mine distracted me. Yves leant forward. He was smiling. I could feel myself relax more. He was nice, approachable. Like an older brother. I have to say, there were some brothers I wasn't at ease with. Like Zed. And the oldest, Trace scared me. My father taught me that police were to be avoided. They would want to know about you, and that was never good. One time, a police man asked me about the bruises I had on my arms. Father got so cross with me for telling, and I ended up with more. It was kinda ironic, if you think about it. He was trying to help I guess, but it made it so much worse. I learnt my lesson, though.

We moved to Aspen after that incident. I was really sad, because I had a friend at my old school. I haven't had another since then. I could tell from the girls, that they found Victor scary. I didn't think he was. He was hiding behind a wall, but underneath…underneath he was really sad. I guess he worked really hard to distract himself from something. I wondered what made him so sad. It must be something really amazing, to make him want it so much. At least he has something to look forward to.

"Violet?" oh, Yves was talking to me. "Have you ever, felt… felt different?"  
I frowned at him. What was he talking about? I was always different. No one liked me. I was shunned.  
He saw my face, and smiled slightly. "Not in that way. Has anything ever happened that you found strange?"  
How did he know? Did he know? They would hate me!

Yves exchanged a glance with Victor. He raised an eyebrow, and got a nod in response.  
"Like…something like this?"

He held out his hand. And then there was a flame burning in his hand, a ball of fire, cupped in his hand. I screamed, pushing myself backwards, away from him. He was like me. What was happening? Why were they just watching him? Why didn't they stop him? Stop. Stop. They would hit him, for being evil. Why didn't he stop? He was evil. Evil. Like me.

My thoughts were incoherent, jumbled up with shock. I felt sick. My first overwhelming thought was one of relief. Relief. Relief because I wasn't the only one who did bad things. I wasn't the only evil one. I let disgust sweep through me. How could I be glad because someone is a bad person? I felt a sob rise in my throat. They knew; they were trying to trap me. They hated me.

Will. Why did that hurt so much?

"You're like me. You're evil. Evil!" I screamed it. "Get away from me! Evil, evil, evil, EVIL!"  
I threw the words at him, at all of them. Why was I shouting. They knew. They were watching me with surprise, not Yves. They were reaching out, trying to calm me, but I would not be calmed down.

There was the voice again, coaching me, making my mouth move. "Evil! Evil!"  
It wasn't me. But it was. I could feel the blood rushing through my body. The beating of my heart. Throbbing. Faster. Faster. Faster. I could feel the energy surrounding me, as I flung out my arms. I couldn't take it anymore. Then it all happened at once. Water was everywhere, spilling down from the faucet. The flame contained in Yves hand leapt to the table, spreading, hungrily consuming the wood. The little plant pot standing on the windowsill fell onto the floor with a crash, roots spilling everywhere. Soil was covering the floor, mingling with the water, still pouring from the sink. It was growing, leaves budding, and springing out with life. I was standing in the middle of the chaos, feeling the blood rush, a steady flowing action. Papers, plates, cups, everything lifted up, in a gale of strong wind, spinning, spinning, spinning. I was standing in the middle of a tornado, ripping its way around the kitchen. And then realisation hit me.

A sob choked its way out of my mouth. I was evil. My legs gave way. I crouched down, head in my hands, sheltering myself. I clutched at it, begging for the voice to stop. _I was evil. I was evil. I was evil. _What was I doing? How could I let it break out of me like this? The voice implored me. _I needed to get out of the house. The Benedicts were evil too. I needed to get back to Danny. He would make me good again. Get out. I needed to get out. _Then someone was next to me, hugging me, cradling me. they pulled me to their chest. Will. He was whispering in my ear, hushing me. My body gradually slowed in the violet sobs. The voice in my head quieted. _Out. Need to. Need…_

He had run into the mass of wind and obstacles. He could have been hurt. For me. He scooped me up, and held me. The wind had died down, the fire was out. The plant wasn't growing anymore. The water was receding. The Benedicts looked at me with shock. Victor was the first to speak.  
"Well, we have an idea of what you're power is now," he said, with a wry smile. I gave him a shaky one back.

Will pressed his face against mine. "You're not evil, love. We're not evil. We are special. We are people called savants. We have special powers, which give us abilities. Yves' is control over energy."  
"What's yours?" I asked.  
"I can sense danger. For me and people close to me. Nothing very special, or unique." He grimaced.  
"You can sense danger. That is so cool. It _is_ special. You'd always be safe." Why did he dismiss it? I would do anything to be able to know when something would try and hurt me. I would do anything to have a chance to protect Will. _Danny!_ I was learning to ignore the voice in my head.  
"Well, now I have you, I'm glad of it," he said, cupping my face.

"What's mine?" I asked.  
Victor answered. "It seems to be a form of control over the elements."  
I nodded. Was I evil then? If I was a savant, was my power evil, or was my father wrong?  
"No, baby, you're not evil. Why would you think that?" I realised, with a grimace, I had asked my question out loud. I shook my head.

"What can everyone else do?" I put my head on one side.  
"Um… Victor can control you, influence you into doing things, Xav can heal people, Uriel can see the past, Zed can see the future, Sky can see emotions, and Phee can freeze time. Crystal…can find things."

My eyes widened. "You're savants too?" I asked Sky. She smiled back.  
"Yup. Me and Zed, we're soulfinders."

I could feel my forehead crinkle. "Soulfinders?"

Will replied cautiously. "Yeah. You …um…seemed to know what they were earlier."  
"I remember…something. My mother…was talking about one. I don't really know what they are though."  
"Every savant in the world has one. They are someone who was conceived at the same time as you. They are your perfect other half. Your soulmate." He was cautious. I didn't blame him, considering my reaction last time.  
"And….I'm yours?" He nodded. "Even though…we aren't the same age?"

He nodded. "I think so. I don't know. If this is right, everything we thought is wrong."  
I frowned, thinking.

Uriel stepped forward. "Actually, that is what I wanted to talk about. Will mentioned that I see the past, right? I was wondering whether I could look at yours? To see whether there is any explanation."

I nodded. Will put me down on my feet. He lead me into the living room. We all sat in a circle, knees touching. Will reached for my hand. Uriel sat on the other side, and he too took my hand. Zed, and Victor also were included in this circle.

Uriel smiled at me. "Relax," he said. And then we were in my memories.

_We were walking through some streets. It was near dusk. We hadn't been here very long. When I asked mummy why we had been going too lots of different places, she said we didn't want to stay in the same place for long because it was boring. I think she was lying though. She cries sometimes, when she thinks I'm sleeping. I dream about a funny man. He was shouting, at mummy. He told her she couldn't leave. He said he loved her. She said he was wrong. She says that she needs her soulfinder, that she can't live knowing there is something better. Mummy left when he was sleeping. It's funny though. Sometimes I dream about things that have happened, and they look like they have been dipped in white. And when I dream a dream that is a mind dream, they are bright, too bright. These dreams are black and white. I only get these dreams when mummy is sad, and has cried before she sleeps. These are sad dreams. I don't like them. I'm not in them, but that doesn't make me sad._

_We have been running around since I can first remember. It makes me sad. I read books, thinner than mummy's ones , where they talk about home. I don't have a home. We should get a home soon._

_Mummy doesn't like the dark. She says that even my gift won't protect us when it is dark. I don't know what she means by gift. She sometimes talks about gifts. She says hers is dreams._

_Suddenly mummy goes stiff. She is looking at a man who is behind us. She is hugging him. Why is she hugging him? Does she know him? They are talking. He is ignoring me. That is rude._

_They are walking away. Why are they leaving? Why doesn't mummy wait for me? I'm crying, when I run after them._

_…_

_The man is frowning. We're at his house. Mummy seems much happier with him. I'm glad, even though she ignores me a lot. She doesn't cry anymore. And I don't have anymore nasty dreams. I don't like the man in the dreams. I hope I never see him in real life._

_The man and Mummy are having an argument. He is shouting at her. I don't like it. They shouldn't be angry.  
"For God's sake love. I love you with all my heart, but I don't need a child right now. I want to start again. She is just a reminder of the life you had before. I don't know why you even had it. For Christ's sake, he abused you."_

_"I know, but what can I do? I can't abandon her. She is only five. What do you want me to do?"  
"It wouldn't be abandoning her. it would be giving her a better life than you can do. Do you want to start again?"  
"Yes. Of course I do. I just don't know what to do. I can't give her back to her father."_

_They aren't shouting at each other anymore. They are standing very close to each other.  
"Why not? He is her father. He would love her. We'll put his name onto the birth certificate. You can change your name. I know you didn't put him on when you left, to stop him tracking you down, but he can't trace you down if you don't have the kid."_

_She walks forward, closer. "Okay. I'll do it. I love you."  
He smiles, and they kiss. I felt alone. Does mummy love me anymore?_

_…_

_She was cradling me, carrying me in her arms. I felt cold, it seeping into my bones. She holds me to her chest, pulls me close, and hugs me tight. We had been in this place for a long time now. The man and mummy were really busy, and never had time to play with me. They said they were doing paper work. Mummy smiles down at me. She walks with a sway in her walk, no matter her mood. She was a dancer, with balletic grace and a graceful manner. I love that about my mummy. She is always nice. I miss the fairy stories she used to tell me. I think she would be in one of them, if she wasn't my mummy. She hasn't had any time for them recently. She used to tell me about love, and balls, and faries. And true love, she said, was a soulfinder. She used to talk about what hers was going to be like. And mine._

_She is near tears as she crouches down on the stairs in the doorway. She kisses me lightly on the forehead, and bites her lip. Don't cry mummy.  
"I love you darling. I'm sorry. I am, but I love Richard, and he loves me. He's my soulfinder, baby. I would do anything for him, honey, and he wants to start again. To be honest love, I do too. I love you more than anything, but I need to forget your father, to put him behind me. And this is the only way."_

_I look at her, eyes wide. She smiles but it is tight, and strained. I smile at her. I don't understand. Why was she crying? Was the man mean to her, like the dream man? I look at the tears streaming down her face and frown slightly, a dent forming between my eyes.  
"I love you darling," she strokes my forehead. Of course she does. I love her, so she loves me too. I close my eyes. When I open them again, all I can see is her retreating back. _

_Where is she going? Why is she going? _

_I called for her, begging her to turn around, but she didn't listen, didn't hear. Why wouldn't she turn?  
"Mamma! Mamma. Mamma, please come back. Don't leave me! _Mamma!_ But she didn't turn. I was alone. The man is there at the end of the street. She gives him a hug, and they disappear._

_I look down at the letter in my hand. I open it. It is mummy's writing. I recognise it. I squint at it, but it means nothing. I could feel choked sobs coming out of my chest. I look up at the doorway. Maybe if I stay here, she'll come back and find me. so I wait._

_…_

_The woman who always comes and talks to me sits down in front of me. she crosses her legs.  
"Hey honey. We've managed to track down your Daddy. He is gonna come get you, and you are going to live in America. That will be fun!"  
"What about mummy?" I ask in a whisper. The pity on her face makes me sad.  
"Sorry honey. We can't find her. She left you here, remember?"_

_That makes me annoyed. Of course I know. "Yes I know. She left with the man."  
"Yeah. Mummy's boyfriend. But you are going to live with your Daddy! You'll like it, promise."_

_…_

_I'm hiding behind the nice woman. She steps aside, and ushers me forward. The man bends down. He is the dream man. I back away, afraid. He frowns.  
"Are you sure she's mine? Her mother wasn't pregnant when she left. I'm certain. Could she be someone else's daughter? Her mother just could have just named me as the father. She looks too small to be five."  
The woman frowns. "It is a possibility. She wasn't registered until a week ago. The only proof we have is the letter she was left with. It named you there. We can do a DNA test if you want?"_

_He scrutinised me. "No. If she is Danni's child, I'll look after her. She obviously wanted me to have her. I'll apply as official guardian."_

_…_

_We were at the man's house. He is talking to himself.  
"After all, she is Danni's daughter. And maybe she'll come back for her someday. She resembles Danni so much. I miss her." he mumbles, trailing off. I think he is drunk. Suddenly he shouts. "Danni, I love you! Come back." He is looking at me. I back away. He grabs my wrist. It hurts. I pull away, biting his wrist._

_He hits me hard. The world spins. "Bitch," he hisses at me. He raises his hand, and hits me, again. He hits me again and again. My tummy hurts. Turning, he walks out of the room. I lie on my side, tears leaking out of my eyes. I miss mummy._

_…_

And then it all blends into one.

...

_Daddy comes home drunk. He is angry. He hits me, again and again. I cry. He picks up a plate and smashes it on my head._

_He is shouting at me. I told him mummy had special powers, like me. He told me I was evil, and a liar. I am scared. The candle on the table turns from a tiny flame to an inferno. He is so angry. The veins on his face stand out, bulging. He grabs my hand, and pushes it into the flame. I scream, and pull away, but he is stronger, and holds it there. I watch the flames lick their way up my arm. I black out. We say I tripped and fell into the fire._

_The water in the bath rises up and spills. I back away, trembling. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."  
He holds me down, pushes me into the water. I stay there until black spots cloud my vision. _

_He is sitting, slumped over a beer. I'm thinking about my mother. My father is staring into the distance. He looks at me. "I try, Violet, I try. I am showing how much I love you by getting rid of the evil. You are evil, you know."  
I sit up. "Mummy says it was a gift. She said I was special."  
"You are not special. You are evil. Never talk about her again!" he is shouting. Hitting accompanies it. I feel my arm break. After, I lie there. He stands over me. "Never talk about her again."_

_I am starting school. They never found out how old I was, and I had never been schooled anyway. They put me in a class that was my level. It is really scary. A boy comes up to me. He has really pale coloured hair. He smiles at me. "Hey," he says.  
"Hey," I say._

A wall came down in my head. Another memory.

_Every year, the return to Amsterdam. The familiar streets. The pain of abandonment. And afterwards, the beating. It was my fault, I knew. I made her leave. I hated myself._

_Standing in front of a mirror. The scars on my arms and legs. The bruises. My room with the marks from my evil losing control. I look at the bruise disappearing under my bra. I pick up the letter opener I found in a box in the attic. Father never got any mail, and when he did, he ripped it open. He wouldn't miss it. I don't want to live anymore. The pain was a relief. I could cope with pain. It was the hate I couldn't live with. Nobody loved me, or would ever love me. My mother left me, my father hates me. The colour was shocking, brilliant against my white skin. There was so much blood. I sat and waited for death. It never came._

_…_

I opened my eyes. A single tear rolled down my face. Everyone was staring at me. Even those who didn't see were seeing it now, replayed over and over again in their minds. Everyone could see everything about me. I had nothing to hide behind anymore. No ignorance to protect me. because I remembered everything. Everything.

I stood up. No one spoke. I turned and ran out into the rain.

**Hey, I hope you all liked it. Review, etc. as per usual. I'm not sure about this chapter. Tell me what ya think. Bye!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Will

I watched her retreating back. It hurt my heart to be apart from her, even for a moment. I looked at my brothers, all of us frozen in place, horrified by what we had seen. Xav looked at me, our eyes locked. "When I saw her scars…I had no idea."

I stood up. Seeing what she had been through in her life made me feel sick. To think that she could have been hurt by everyone she loved. I promised myself I would never ever let myself do that to her. I promised myself no one would ever do that to her while I was alive.

I turned and ran after her. I found her on the crest of the hill, the place that had seen so many of my families happy moments. She was sitting, shoulders huched against the rain. Her hair was plastered against her head, her clothes already soaking wet, clinging to her. I averted my eyes. I looked at her face. Pain was written clearly across it. She looked up at me through her eyelashes. It was a habit she used regullaly. I loved it, like I loved everything about her.

"Do you hate me? After seeing my memories?" I felt shock fill my body, stiffening.  
"Why would you think that? How could you think that?" I questioned, hurt.  
"No one has ever loved me, apart from Danny. And sometimes I question whether he really does. I am officially unlovable. I doubt whether I am even likeable. Why would you be any different?"

I cradled her face in my hands. "You have had the worst luck with people in your life. But I swear that the moment you ran into me in that forest, you luck changed for the better. And I will _never _hate you. I love you Violet."

And then I leant forward, and kissed her. And it was worth the wait.

**Hope ya like it. PLEASE review. I love it when you guys review. It makes me sooo happy, and makes me write quicker. I know that everyone says that, but it really does. :-D**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Violet

It was indescribable. I could feel the rain, pouring down onto my arms, my shoulders, my head, but I didn't care. His hands traced my arms, leaving trails of fire along them. Every time his skin brushed against mine, it sent tingles across my nerve endings, setting them alight. His lips pressed against mine, softly, then harder. My forehead pressed his, our heads tilted. I could feel my breaths mingling with his, short little intakes of air. The kiss slowed, and he pulled away slightly, only enough that our lips were parted. I had never felt more aware of him.

"Wow," he breathed, his breath warm on my face. His hand stroked my face, gently, like a rough move could damage me. And I realised just how much I was falling for this boy. Had fallen for this boy. And I realised just how much I loved him. I loved Will Benedict. Danny was just a blur in the background when I was with this boy. Danny. My heart gave a twinge, and I felt a shot of sadness that I could have forgotten him. But it was nothing compared to what I felt if I imagined losing Will. Every moment with Danny, every kiss, every touch, was paled in comparison to Will. I loved Danny, I knew. When he kissed me, it was sweet, and loving. But when I kissed Will…it was magical. It was fire and electricity, and heat. The earth moved when I kissed Will. Gravity lifted, and we were the only thing still in the centre of a spinning universe, revolving around us. When I kissed Will, I was overwhelmed. When I kissed Will, he was my everything, and I knew I loved him, and I always will.

He chuckled. "Your barriers are down, for once." I looked at him questioningly. "Oh, I forgot to mention. We savants can read each other's minds. Only if we let each other, and you can build barriers in our minds to keep each other out. You have amazingly strong barriers. Especially since you didn't know about savants. But…um…your barriers have just come down. I can't see everything; you've still got some up, but I can see a bit."

That was funny. I hadn't put up any barriers. So we could read each other's mind could we?  
"What can you see?" I asked him.  
He beamed. "I can see how you feel about me. I can see a lot about that." I felt myself blush.  
"Oh? And…um…how do you feel about me?"

And suddenly there was a voice in my mind. _It is completely and wholly returned. You can't imagine how I feel about you._ I sat up straighter. I mimicked the feeling, and imagined projecting my voice into his mind. _Oh, but I think I can. I really can. I, Violet Miller, love you Will Benedict._

He chuckled, "And I, Will Benedict, love you Violet Miller." And then he bent his head and kissed me again, a sweet, tender kiss. I could see his hair plastered against his head, and knew mine was doing the same. My clothes were saturated with water, clinging to my body, and I was soaking wet. And I couldn't care less. Because I was kissing the boy of my dreams.

**Hope you all liked! Please review. Pretty please!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Will

We sat, hand in hand, her leaning against my shoulder. She was sitting so close to me, she was almost sitting on my lap. She turned her head, resting in the dent of my collar bone. I laughed softly. I was the happiest I had ever been in my life. She tilted her head, squinting up at me, eyes shaded against the sun, reflecting off a dozen raindrops.

Her beautiful eyes entranced me, and I found myself staring into them. I had begun to recognise her feeling through them. When she was sad, they looked like a misty morning, dawn breaking through the clouds. When she was scared, they went a very deep purple, like dusk, or the gathering of night, scraping at indigo. When she was happy, they were light, and almost luminescent. They reflected light, and seemed to literally take on the word shine. They were like a gem, amethyst, sitting at the bottom of the sea. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at me. I felt myself leaning in for another kiss.

She gave a little giggle, pealing chimes ringing, and stood up. The rain was still coming down, but not in sheets as before, but a light drizzle. The sun was breaking through the clouds, and as it began to light up the sky, I felt hope burst through my chest. She took my hand, and pulled me up into standing position. I placed my hands on her waist. She reached up, and gently held my shoulders. She rested her head against my chest. We stood still, neither of us wanting to break the stillness of the moment. Then she began to dance.

It was just a little swaying of her hips, graceful and sweet. I let myself sway with her. she was humming under her breath, a tune I recognised. It was Lego house, by Ed Sheeran. I hummed along with her, and then she began to sing. Her voice was soft, lilting and sweet. She was admittedly not what would be classified as a good singer, but to me, it was beautiful.

_"I'm gonna pick up the pieces,  
and build a Lego house  
and if things go wrong, we can knock it down._

_My three words have two meanings,  
there's one thing on my mind  
it's all for you"_

I was joining in by the second verse. I was smiling at how apt the first two verses were. I smiled down at her. She reached up and kissed me, hard. I kissed her back, hands pulling her closer. When we broke apart, we stood, grinning at each other.  
"C'mon, let's go inside," I said, suddenly conscious of her soaking clothes. Taking her hand, I pulled her inside. I sent a warning thought to my brothers, cautioning them about talking to Violet about her memories.

When we were both dried of, we sat squashed together on the couch. Now and again, we would glance at each other, and catch the other doing the same. She would blush that adorable pink colour, and look away. Phee walked into the sitting room, and handed Violet a piece of paper. She requested a couple of other materials to use, and I complied. She began drawing, and I watched her.

I realised how much I had learnt about this tiny girl in the short time I had known her. she hadn't told me, and I hadn't asked, but I knew. She loved drawing, and always had. She saw it as a release, something to lose herself in. it was something she could do for hours in, immersed. I could watch her as long as she could actually do it. Her favourite colour was a deep blue, like the colour that you saw just before blackness enveloped the sky. She couldn't sing, but loved to tunelessly hum along. She could dance; her slight frame twisting and twirling, but she didn't do it much, being painfully shy. She was good at almost all subjects, excelling in English and science. She loved to cook, especially sweet things. She cooked for her father all the time. She didn't like wearing jeans, preferring skirts and dresses, as they gave her the freedom to move easier.

I didn't know how I knew all this about her. I just did. I knew how much she loved using new art supplies, like paints. One of her favourite things was drawing with brand new oil pastels. I could tell that from her memories, and her thoughts when she was drawing that afternoon. She never got to use new art equipment and she was so happy doing it then. I leant forward, brushing hair out of her face.

"Honey, I swear you will never use old materials again. I'll buy you new paints every time you need to use some."  
She laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. Can you imagine the amount of money you'd spend?"  
"Nothing is too much for you." She laughed, but I was entirely serious. I was willing to give her everything if it made her happy.

I ruffled her hair, and she leant into my hand. Surrounded by my family, my soulfinder firmly stuck to my side, I was blissfully at ease. It was something I would look back on years later and smile. It was something I would never forget.

**Hope ya liked it. Bye!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**Wow, can't believe I have reached 31 already! I don't know how much longer this is gonna go on for…but we haven't even reached the climax yet! Enjoy!**

Violet

I leant into Will's chest. When I was around him, I felt safe. Nothing could touch me when I was with him. I was too high to reach, flying high, elated when I was in his presence. I knew he had warned his family off speaking about my memories, but they all acted so different around me. Even Zed acted like I was made of glass, ready to break at any moment. Only the girls didn't, I'm sure because they had their own protective guy issues. The two older Benedict brothers, Victor and Uriel didn't have a partner, waiting for their soulfinder I presumed. That had been what was missing for Victor. I think I liked Victor and Uriel best out of Will's brothers, an exception for Xav, because they seemed so patient. Uriel was sweet and seemed willing to let all his brothers find happiness with no grudge. He was the second oldest, but was willing to let his brothers go first. He was optimistic, and always willing to look on the bright side of life.

Victor was almost the opposite, yet I liked him just as much. He was quiet, and I knew he was suffering badly from the lack of a soulfinder. Apparently he was a workaholic, yet he had made time for Will. I would have liked him just for that. He seemed a lot more real than many people I had known, a lot more down to earth. I got a feeling the female Benedicts were slightly intimidated by Victor. I wasn't. It may have been that being next to each other in age, they were closer, but Victor seemed to make more of an effort not to scare me, his younger brother's soulfinder. I wouldn't have cared if there was no effort, as I liked this boy without him making a conscious effort to be nice, but it was nice, having someone trying to make me happy. Everyone seemed to be doing this at the moment.

I had spared no more than a passing thought to Danny. I had loved him, but Will was my soulfinder and my everything now. I was pretty sure, anyway.

The sun was shining. Apparently Will's parents were heading back, and would be here in about three hours. I was nervous, hoping that they would like me. We were all outside, revelling in the sun. it was a first after a long summer. I tilted my head back, letting the sun caress my face. Will laughed at my expression.

"I'm gonna get some food. Want a sandwich?"

I smiled at him, nodding my assent. Everybody else had dispersed, in a search of food, most likely. My mobile phone rang shrilly, vibrating in the back pocket of the borrowed shorts Sky had leant me. I took it out, not glancing at the lit up screen.

"Hello?"

"Hello Violet." It was Danny.

"Danny?" I gasped, my chest tight with anxiety.

"Hello Darling. Miss me? Oh wait, you've been busy getting over me with your new boyfriend. How's that going for ya?" His southern accent seem so much more pronounced when he was angry. Fury boiled underneath his cold words, and I was waiting for it to break.

"I'm sorry Danny," I couldn't think of the words to appease him. What could I do?

"Oh, but sorry don't cut it, Honey. You love me, remember?" _Yes. _Yes. Wait, I loved him? No. I loved Will.

"I'm sorry Danny. I do love you, but Will…it's not something I've ever felt before. I can't explain…I…"

"Oh no honey, you explained it pretty damn well. You love this boy, over me. Unfortunately that is not how it works. You belong to me Violet. You are mine. And you were mine before that boy knew you existed. Before he claimed you as his soulfinder," he spat. My blood ran cold with the threat. A realisation hit me.

"Wait, how do you know what a soulfinder is? You aren't a…" I trailed off, straying into difficult territory.

"Oh, Violet. There are many things you don't know about me. Now this is how it is going to work. You are going to get yourself out of there, y'hear me?" I felt the compulsion, the need to get out. I shook myself, bewildered. He hadn't finished. "You are going to do this Violet, because if you don't I will hurt those people you love so much. and you know I can, and will. I am very powerful, Darling, and I will hurt them, and you. What are you going to do?"

I repeated his instructions back to him, toneless. My mind was frantically searching for a way out, but it was hopeless. There was a part of me, in the back of my mind, that wasn't fighting with the idea of being back with him. It egged me on, trying to come up with a way of leaving. I stood up.

"Okay Danny. I…"

He replied, business like. "Meet me at my cabin. And remember Violet, the consequences will be severe if you fail, or if anyone finds out about this." And then he was gone. I closed the phone, trancelike.

"Hey," Will said, wrapping his arms around my waist. I stiffened, and pushed him away.

"Let GO. Let me go Will." I was talking about more than the hold. "Will, I can't…do this, okay? I CAN'T DO THIS."

He frowned. "What can't you do? Am…am I doing anything wrong. 'Cause I'm sorry if I am…"

"Look Will, I don't want you to be my soulfinder. It's too painful, and I…can't cope with that. And, to be honest, I don't really want you to be my soulfinder anyway." I had to stop, my voice cracking. Will's eyes were wide, hurt. It was so difficult to maintain the calm exterior, when a storm of pain and hurt was wreaking havoc in my inside. How had Will coped, keeping up the act, to help his family? He was such a selfless person. I had seen all his memories, and he was _good_. Just good, no bad. I saw how he had dreamed of acting, but gave it up, with no complaint when he was told. I had to be like him. I had to be strong, to keep him safe.

"Will, I'm sorry, but I don't love you. I love Dan. I tried to love you, but I just can't" _I love you Will. I don't love him, I love you._ "I'm going back to Danny, and I don't want to see you again." _Please don't let me leave. I'm scared Will. I don't want to go. _"Thank you for letting me stay here. I'm going now." _I don't want to Will. I want to stay. Please don't let me go! Say something!_

But he only nodded, tears in his eyes. I walked away, my heart aching, sharp pains shooting across it. I stopped, and allowed myself to say his name one last time. "Goodbye, Will." And I turned, and left, tears burning my eyes. I had hurt him so badly. I saw, in my peripheral vision, Sky running towards Will. She hugged him, anxious. He would be okay. Goodbye Will. I love you. I'll always love you. Bye.

And with that, I walked away from the man I loved. And it hurt so much.

…

I walked along the road, shoulders hunched in against the wind. I could feel my sob that were wracking my body, shudder through me, and I bit down on my lip to quiet them. A car pulled up beside me. The window was wound down, and Dan stared out at me, face cold. The door swung open, and he gestured to me.

"Get in," he barked. I got in. we drove along the winding path, down into the woods. I realised with a start that I was scared of Dan. I felt a sigh heave through my chest, and felt a sharp pain answer back. I was broken, a damaged good, but I couldn't say I regretted meeting Will Benedict. It was worth the pain, a thousand times over. The man next to me chuckled.

"Now Violet, lets not be thinking mournful thoughts. Be happy love. You've got me back!"

Yes! Yes, I had got Danny back. It was all fine. I was happy. Why was I sad? I couldn't remember. Something about…_Will._ God, how could I forget him? I bit down on my lip, drawing blood. How could I forget the boy I love? I glared at Dan.

"I hate you."  
He just smiled. "We'll see."

And the conversation was over. We sat in silence, the car jolting around. Many times I would lurch sideways, but I would stiffen, refusing to let myself fall into him. I wouldn't ever let myself willingly touch him. He had torn me away from my soulmate, and I would never forgive him. Even if I had to spend my entire life with him, I would never love him. I would kill myself first. And this time I would succeed.

We stopped by his cabin. I got out, ignoring his proffered hand. He snarled, and grabbed my arm.

"Don't act like you did nothing wrong. Don't pull away when you are near me. You love me, remember?" I whimpered, my arm throbbing. He let go with a disgusted look carved into his features. He pushed me into the cabin and slammed the door.

"So, darling, how _is_ your precious soulfinder? Well? Shame you aren't his. 'Cos you belong to me, darling. And you really shouldn't have run away. I'm going to have to punish you for that," he sighed, a regretful tone mimicked in his voice. "Silly Violet."

My body was shaking, tremors tearing their way down my spine. There was a voice in my head. _You love Danny, don't you? He has always been there for you, unlike that stupid Will. Will broke your heart, didn't he?_ Wait, no. I tried to pull away, from the little, malicious voice that echoed in the back of my mind. _Will broke your heart. You hate Will. Every time you got hurt, every time someone hurt you, that was his fault. You hate him. _I was shaking, fighting the voice in my head. It was right-wait no!- yes it was right. I should be fighting it, I knew. There was a reason I needed to fight it, but I couldn't grasp it. And it was so easy, just to slip down, and accept it was right. It was obvious it wanted what was best for me. There was someone… but that someone had slipped out my head, and all I was left with was a memory, of being carried, safe in someone's arms.

Danny stroked my face. "I love you Violet."

I beamed up at him. "I love you too Danny. With all my heart," I said, euphoric at being in his arms. He smiled tenderly, and kissed me, hard. His lips were cold and rough, and I couldn't shake the memory of someone else's lips, pressed against mine, soft and tender. But that was just de ja vu, I knew. There was no one else.

**I am SO sorry I haven't updated in a while, things to do, etc. Hope you all liked the chapter, it took me a while. :-D it was really hard to write. I hope you all like what has happened so far, and I am sorry I haven't updated in a while. I am so unorganised! Review, etc.**

**Bye!**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Will

And I can see you coming from the edge of the room  
Smiling in the streetlight  
Even with my eyes shut tight  
I still see you coming now

Oh, I think I'm breaking down again  
Oh, I think I'm breaking down again  
Oh, I think I'm breaking down again  
Oh, I think I'm breaking down

Breaking down, Florence and the Machine

* * *

She's gone. She left. She didn't love me. My_ soulfinder_ didn't love me. My family skirted around me, apprehensive. What could you do, in a situation like this? Nothing.

I was in my room, door locked. Everyone had had their turn trying to reason with me, through the heavy oak. My mother had begged me, horrified that she had not been here, not been able to intervene. I didn't care anymore. I didn't care about anything. Not anymore. Not anymore.

Vic was outside. He would sit outside, his back resting against the other side of the door, just sitting. He didn't try and make me talk. He just sat there, letting me know he was there. Watching over me. He hadn't left the entire week. Looking out for me. Being the big brother he was. Uriel took off, soon after she-

He had sat, deep in thought, for a couple of days, before leaping to his feet and rushing off. He had muttered something about something not being right, before leaving. I knew this had affected all my brothers. The idea that a soulfinder could leave, out of her own accord, because she didn't love the other. I think Vic and Uriel had particularly been affected. I could see the thoughts plainly written across their face: what if my soulfinder leaves? What if she hates me? See, before, we had all had those moments of doubts, when we wondered whether out soulfinder would hate us. Now of course, we knew they could.

The phone rang, shrilly echoing around the house. I could hear mom answer it. Uriel.

"Oh hello Darling…Will? Of course…I…I don't know. Maybe. Hopefully…Hang on." Her tread began its soft ascent up the stairs. She tentatively knocked on the door, and her head poked around it. I smiled at her, and took the phone. I might as well pretend to be okay, at least for my mom.

"Hello?"  
"Hello Uriel," I said, flatly. "What do you want?"  
"Well…straight to the point. How unlike you Will," he was joking, trying to ease the tension. I didn't care anymore.  
"Cut the crap Uriel. You wanted to speak to me for a reason, and it wasn't about how I am feeling. You could have asked anyone. Mom could have told you I am falling apart. But then again, no one else seems willing to put it like that." My voice was toneless, without expression. What had happened to me?

"Fine. It's about Violet."

I felt my body stiffen. There was a silence as he tried to gauge my reaction. The sound of her name sent a knife of pain through my heart. Robotically, silently, I ended the call. It rang again. it rang and rang. I watched the screen glow blue, buzzing with vibrations. Finally it went to voicemail.

"Hey, Will. I'm sorry. I know it's hard. But you need to listen. Please call me back. There is something strange about this whole situation. Please call me. Please."

I didn't call him back.

…

Uriel persisted. A couple of hours after his earlier call, the phone rang again, this time for Zed. Head on one side, I listened. Straining my ears, I could hear just both sides of the conversation.

"To be honest, he's not doing too great. He is just…sad. I could kill that bitch for what she did to him."

_"I know…hurting, but…needs to…could be in trouble."_

"I don't give a damn. For god's sake Uriel, our brother is sitting in his bedroom, near comatose because that girl left. Apparently Will isn't good enough for Violet Miller."

_"Listen Zed…really important…when I looked at her memories…walls…but the strange thing…she didn't seem aware of it…someone else had…in her head…so I couldn't-"_

"Listen to me idiot. ' . She hurt our brother, and she left. Whatever her problem is, it's not ours. And it isn't gonna be Will's. He doesn't deserve it. I think you need to sort out your loyalties. Goodbye Uriel."

And Uriel's protests were cut off by the ending of the call. He didn't stop calling though. Zed picked it up each time, and then hung up again, getting angrier and angrier. I knew how he felt. Why couldn't Uriel just leave it alone? He was just bringing painful memories closer to the surface. And all I wanted to do was forget…her. Sky and Phee arrived home, having been shopping. I stared at the grainy picture on the wall, of our entire family huddled together. Before the soulfinders. It didn't hurt so badly, because I could remember before I wanted one. I had been horrified at the idea that I would have a girlfriend. Of course, I had been six, and the idea of girls was horrifying. I examined my face, my beaming smile huge. I was happy then. I wondered whether I would ever be happy again. I sighed, my body shaking with repressed sobs. To distract myself, I listened to my family again. Sky was on the phone, her tone serious, voice low. Zed was growling at something nearby, undistinguishable threats muttered under his breath. I wondered who had pissed him off this time.

Sky had obviously ended the call, and she had wandered over to have a conversation with Zed, and Phee, from the sound of it. I imagined them, heads together.

Two sets of footsteps up the stairs. Sky's little dancer steps, and Phee's catlike tread, soft and barely indistinguishable. A knock on the door. Sky's head around the door. I smiled at them.

"Hey," she said, softly.

"Hey. Come in." They did. "What do you want?"

"We want to talk. About us." Phee said, seriously. I tilted my head on one side, questioning. I wondered where this was going, but simply nodded. I guessed I would find out.

"When…when I first met Zed, I was scared. He had told me that I was a savant, and I didn't want that. I wanted to be normal. And that level of commitment- it was hard. Destined to be together forever…it's a scary thing. I ran at first, before I realised how I felt."

Phee took over. "When I first met Yves, I didn't want him in my life. I was running fast to keep up with the community, and I saw him as just another obstacle. And when I grew to love him, I was scared Will, scared he would be hurt, caught up in the web of the community. He's my rock, my everything, and I am so glad that he was stubborn enough to fight me. I love him, but I ran at first. We both did."

Sky continued. "Will, what we're saying is we think you should give Violet another chance. You owe it to yourself and to her to try and win her back, at least one more time. You owe it to yourself to ask her why. It is hard, finding your soulfinder, especially when you don't know they exist. Try and find her Will."

And I knew I had to. How could I have let her get away without fighting for her? how could I have not fought to keep her, at least once? I stood, running my hands through my hair.

"Right. Phee, Sky, could you go get my brothers? I think we need to talk. I need their help to find her." They both nodded, and began their way out of my room. "Oh, and one more thing?" I waited until they had both turned back. "Thank you. For helping me realise."

Sky beamed back at me, Phee inclining her head, a warm smile on her face. They turned, and walked out. Right. Now to find my soulfinder.

**I am so sorry this has taken such a long time. it was a hard chapter to write, and I have been so busy. Mocks, etc. well, I hope y'all liked it. Please review.**

**Bye. **


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Violet

I sat, my knees pulled up to my chest. It had been a week, and I was weak, with fatigue and hunger. My head was spinning, pressure building against the crown. There was a pounding that had been there since I had – since something had happened. I furrowed my forehead, bewildered by the blank wall in my mind. There was something behind it, yet no matter how hard I tried to break through, it stood, impenetrable. I sat, in the corner of the cabin, back against the wall. Danny sat on the sofa facing away from me, reading a book. I had had no contact with the world since last week.

I didn't know why I hadn't left the cabin for a week, and-_ I was glad that Danny was looking after me. I loved him, more than anything. _Danny looked up at me, a frown on his face, before turning back to the book. The single look sent a shudder through my spine. Suddenly Danny stiffened, his head tilted to the side, like a bird of prey catching the sound of a mouse. Swinging his legs onto the floor, he raced over to me. Seizing my arm, he pulled me into a standing position. I cried out in pain, his grip making my arm ache, but he ignored it, pulling me over to a space in the middle of the floor. Kicking the rug over, he revealed a patch of wood set into the floorboards that's grain was a deeper honey coloured brown to the planks. He bent down, and using his nails pried up the boards. Instead of the shallow hole I was expecting, there was a deep pit, darkness dwelling at the bottom. He pushed me forward, forcing me to crouch at the edge.

"There's a ladder. Use it." I did.

When my feet hit the floor, I stood. I could hear him following me, his silhouette a hazy figure above me. He jumped of the ladder, and reached for something on the wall. There was a faint click, and the dusky room we were standing in was illuminated. It was large, a concrete bunker set deep in the ground. Apart from the bare bulb in the ceiling, there was no other form of light. In the corner, there was a pile of rope, heaped next to the single drainpipe. Danny roughly shoved me forward, towards the rope. I walked in little staggering steps until I reached the grey wall.

Danny looked at me. "Sit." I did. He knelt next to me, looping the rope around the drain pipe, and then my ankle. He tied it, so tightly it cut off my blood supply. He left some slack, and tied my opposite wrist with the same piece of rope. I could stand if I wanted, but only awkwardly, bent at the waist to accommodate the short rope. I could also walk or crawl about three feet from the drainpipe I was secured on, until I was pulled up short. He handed me a knife.

"Your friends are in the forest. They are looking for you." I was confused. I didn't have any friends. Danny smiled, satisfied. "I see my power is working effectively. Never mind. Now listen to me, very closely._ You must not call out. You must stay silent. If you hear anybody trying to get into this house, I want you to take this knife and stab it into yourself. Do not cry out. Stay silent. The more they try and get in, the more you use this knife. Understood? And if they find this trapdoor, call to me." _The words burnt into my mind, followed by the unspoken ones. _You know how._

He stood, and turned to leave. He stopped short by the ladder. Turning back to me, he imparted the final piece of advice. "And don't move."

And then he was gone, and I was left, alone.

…

I was alone, for a long time. I fell asleep, my head resting against the concrete wall. A shout jerked me awake, coming from outside the cabin. I recognised the voice.

"Tell Uriel we found it. " The clamour of voices grew, as another voice joined in, distant, full of static, as if over a phone.

The first voice spoke, sending peals of bells through my body. It was painfully familiar. "Quick. If we are going to do this, we should do it quickly. I think he's around somewhere. Uriel says he saw something earlier. C'mon, Vic says he'll join us soon."

There was a shuffling further away from me. I frowned. I was in the basement, and shouldn't be able to hear them from where I was. It was like I was particularly tuned in to these voices.

There was a low bang, which echoed down into my basement. I clenched my fists, and was reminded of the knife in my hand by a sharp pain stabbing its way through my palm. I hissed quietly, shaking it slightly. A trickle of blood made its way down my wrist. A slam broke my concentration, and I flinched. They were breaking into the cabin! My conscience received this message a few seconds after my subconscious. I gasped, suddenly aware of the knife poised, the tip resting on the top of my thigh. No! I wrestled with my arm, intent on plunging it into my leg. That wasn't the thing that was terrifying me, but the fact that I_ wanted _to do this. My mind was screaming at me, forcing my wrist down. Clenching my teeth, I tried to force my hand to drop the knife, to resist the urge, but it was too strong.

Another bang broke any hold I had over myself. With a muffled cry, I plunged the knife into my leg. My entire body jerked against the cold steel, resisting it. Another bang. I twisted the knife, dragging it across my leg. Blood was everywhere, seeping through my clothes, into my skin, encrusting my nails, smeared across my arms and face. Bang. The knife left fiery paths across my body, trails of blood and pain. Another bang, followed by a clatter. The door. I could hear on the floor above me, walking around. They wouldn't find me though. I was too well hidden. For some reason, that made me sad, even though it was their fault I was hurting.

There were curses from above me. Someone spoke, voice harsh with pain.

"She's not here. I told you she wouldn't be." Their footsteps stomped towards the door.

Someone else sighed. "I guess so." His footsteps followed, walking towards the exit. There was a thud, directly above the entrance to the hole I am sitting in. A shout followed.

"Ow! Dammit. What is this stupid rug? It's ridiculous."  
The other one spoke, quietly. "Zed, look. At the floor idiot. It looks different from the rest."

There was quiet murmuring as they both digested this. I knew what was coming. I promised myself I would not call for Danny, no matter who these people were. For some reason, I could not bring myself to call him. It was because he got so angry, I told myself. That's why. I bit down hard on my lip.

There was scrabbling in the ceiling above me. Could they not get it open? Another slam, this time the trapdoor being lifted, and thrown aside. They were silent as they began the descent down the ladder. As I heard the first person alight onto the ground. The pressure was building up in my head. The need to call out to Danny was climbing, and my skull felt like it was being pressed from each side, shards of pain flashing between my eyes. I whimpered, barely able to hold it. Both strangers sucked in a breath, and at their inhalation, the wall of pain broke._ Danny. Danny, Danny, they're inside._

I sucked in a sob. There was a pause, and then His voice rang out loud and in my head. "_Violet?" _Will.

…

The light bulb flickered, and then illuminated the room. Will stood across from me, shock written plainly on his face. Zed stood behind him, Will's expression reflected on his face too. The silence stretched out in the room, before peaking, and crashing down.

"Violet! Violet, are you alright?"

"Will. Will, Will, Will. I'm so sorry. For everything." We spoke at once, desperation singing in both our voices. He rushed forward, kneeling by my side. Gently he reached forward and examined my wounds. He looked down at the knife clenched in my hand with confusion.

"Why would you do that to yourself?"

I shook my head, unable to explain. I reached out a shaking hand, and touched his face. He raised his, and mirrored me. We sat there for what seemed like forever, but was over far too quickly. I could spend my life with Will, just looking at him. The fog that had been in my head for the past week was gone, and in its place was clarity. Will. Every beat of my heart, every little pulse of blood, every nerve crackling with electricity sang his name. Will.

Zed cleared his throat, obviously bored. I didn't blame him. He was obviously anxious to be back with Sky, and if he felt anything like I felt about Will, he counted every second he was not at her side. Will shook his head, happiness etched in his every expression. Bending down he began to untie the ropes fastening my ankles and wrist. I glanced over at Zed…and froze.

Behind him in the shadows stood a figure of a broad shouldered man. A figure I could recognise anywhere. It had been in my life for at least half of it. Danny. Zed spun around, searching for what I was staring at. Dan smirked, a wide, satisfied smile, a smile of a killer before his victim. He sauntered into the centre of the room, and spoke in a quiet resounding voice. "Don't move."

Will leapt to his feet, shielding me from him. Zed stood, frozen in his place, rooted to the spot. Dan chuckled lowly. "Can't move Benedict? Don't worry, that's me." At their bewildered expressions, he laughed. "Oh, come on. You didn't really think you were the only savants in Wrickenridge, did you? Really boys, I thought better of you. Who d'you think put those walls up in Violet's mind? It wasn't her, that's for sure."

Will was looking at him with dawning realisation. "Uriel. Uriel realised. He kept talking about it, but I thought…"

"Yes, your brother realised. He also guessed what I was capable of. He told you to go find the cabin, didn't he? He said he had something important to do. Shame really. Of course, no one can really blame him. No one can fight me. "

Zed was shaking with fury. Dan smiled at him, flashing him his teeth, before turning back to Will.  
"Move," he ordered. Will staggered out the way, his feet dragging. Dan bent down to my height, and offered me a hand. My hand was in his before I had a chance to think. He lifted me up, and held me, supporting my weight. I wrenched my hand out of his, and leant against the wall. Dan simply shook his head and tutted.

I glanced at Will, desperate. He frowned, but my terror seemed huge in comparison to his. Dan watched the exchange, with the ease of a predator watching a mouse before it. "And don't worry nobody's going to come and save you. Me and Victor had a little run in earlier. My, you Benedicts are easy to get rid of. Tsk, tsk." Will's face now reflected my horror. _Victor, Uriel. Please let them be okay. Please let them be okay._

"Now, I'm bored. Aren't you?" he asked us, in a horrific mimic of concern. "Lets get onto something fun."

Will spoke. "Please, just let Violet go. We'll stay. Just let Violet go. Please." His voice cracked.

"And where would the fun be in that? Besides, Violets' mine."

Will and I spoke together. "Never."  
"She's not yours. She never was."

"Really? Is she yours then? Shall we see? Why don't we ask her, huh Will?" He turned to me. "So Violet, who do you love? _Me, the person who has been there every second of your life since we met, protecting you from you father, standing by you on those trips to Amsterdam, where you had to relieve you mother abandoning you? Or him, who hurt you. Who made you do this. who left you broken. Who doesn't love you like he should. Like I do."_

My head was foggy. His words etched their way into my mind. The voice who used to tell me I wasn't good enough told me over and again. All the voices that haunted my past rushed back. They were there in droves, all whispering the same thing, over and over. _Danny. Danny. Danny. You love Danny. You love Danny. You hate Will. Will_. Will. Will? I love… I love…

"Now then Violet. Shall we make things a little more exciting? Why don't you make the person who has made you suffer, made you hurt, suffer back? Repay all that pain."

I stood, swaying slightly. In small tottering footsteps I began to walk, swaying one way, and then the other. But I wasn't swaying in indecision. There was no contest. There was never any contest. I had known since I had met them I loved them. They had been there to protect me, to save me from myself. They had been there to step in front of me in danger.

I walked over to Will. Reaching up I cradled his face in my arms, then pulled him into a hug. "Trust me," I breathed. I held him tight in a hug, clenching my hands. Smiling, I stepped back. He scrutinised my face, searching. I tightened my grip on the object in my hand. Pulling him in for another hug, I pressed my hands against his chest, hard. I stepped back, letting my hands trail down his chest.

"Last words?" I asked, head on one side.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're clever, you'll figure it out." I told him. He would, eventually. I skipped into the middle of the room. "_You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am tita-ni-um_." I sang at him, staring at his chest. His eyes widened, and he followed my gaze to his abdomen. His hand involuntarily reached to touch it. Dan smirked, he too looking at the rip in the cloth, the blood slowly spreading from the hole. Will's eyes slowly rose to mine, and then to the blood stained knife in my blood stained hand. I could see his mind working, as he met mine again. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't finish the first word. His knees gave out, and he fell to the ground. He lay when he had fallen, where I had been tied up against the drain pipe, in a pool of blood. He was face down.

Zed let out a howl of pain, which trailed off into a choked sob. I stood unmoving. I had to be. He looked at me, still tied to the floor. "Bitch!" he spat.

Dan raised his hand. "Silence," he proclaimed, and Zed was silent. I walked over to Dan, hands behind my back. I stood on my tiptoes, and he bent to kiss me.

"Danny," I crooned.  
"Violet," he said back, softly, gently. "Good girl."

I giggled. "Thank you Danny. But really," I said, pouting slightly, shaking my head. I danced behind his back, and raised my hand to trail it across his broad shoulders. "Next time…" I stood on tiptoes again to whisper in his ear. "Don't hurt my soulfinder."

Before he could react, I slid the knife that I had held in my hand into his back. He choked out a gasp, and crumpled to the floor. I looked down at the dead body of the boy I had met on the first day of high school.

…

_The girl glances around nervously, map clutched to her chest. The sea of students swells around her, rising and falling in waves. Someone collides with her, and sends her careering into a smaller corridor. It's slightly less crowded, but just as disorientating. A boy with shockingly white blond hair comes up to her._

_"Hey," he says.  
"Hey," she repliee. He smiles at her. "Need a hand?" he asks._

_…_

_A girl is being slapped by her father. He raises his hand to slap her again, fury in his eyes. She flinches, and glances at the sofa. A tall boy with white blond hair shrugs his shoulders, and turns back to the television. He has already told her she must take what she deserves._

_…_

_A boy threads his hands through a girl's hair. He yanks it back, kissing her forcefully on the mouth. She whimpers, and he slaps her, hard. Her head jerks to the side from the force of her slap, but he turns her head back with her hair, and slaps her again. He kisses her, slamming her head against the wall. She kisses him back, tears streaming down her face._

_…_

_The boy is beating the girl. He is hitting her so hard her bones break, and she stops moving. When he stops, she lays on the floor at his feet, motionless. He looks down at her for a while, before turning and walking away. She had asked why he didn't intervene when her father had hit her._

_…_

_The boy sat down on his bed. A trail of blood led out of the cabin. He had hit the girl so hard her arms and ribs had broken, her skin broken, and shedding blood. He had told her to go. She had been so scared she had run out of the cabin into the snowy wilderness. She might die. The phone rang. He flicks it open, glancing at the caller id. _

_"Hey mom. Yeah, everything's great here. Skiing's good. Yeah, she's good. I'll tell her you say hi. Okay, Bye. Bye."_

_He flicks the phone shut. "Violet, my Mom says hi," he announces to the empty room. _

_…_

_The girl stands behind the boy. She leans up and whispers something in his ear. The knife she has in her hand is poised, ready. With a quick darting movement, she stabs him, in the back. He falls on the ground, by her feet. She looks down at him, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she says. "But you should be too."_

_…_

My palm is still bleeding profusely. Zed stands motionless, grief stricken. A smile spreads its way across my face. Gracefully stepping my way over Dan's body, I walk to the corner of the room. He won't be sad for long.

**Hope you all like it. sorry i took so long to update! I've had so much going on. Any hoo, nearly over I think. keep on readin. I'll try to update soon, so keep an eye out. thank you all for sticking with this story for so long. Bye! (And review soon)**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Will

We found the cabin on the third try. Victor had pulled some strings, and had gotten the rough area the cabin was in. However the only way we could find it was to follow the directions Vic had given us. And neither Zed nor I were any good at following directions. Uriel told us he had to do something important, and he couldn't make it up to the cabin in time. We hadn't checked Violets Father's house, and both Zed and I were uncertain why we were checking a small cabin in the woods before that, but Uriel was adamant she was here.

Vic had told us he was on his way, just in case we had any trouble from her boyfriend. Uriel had seemed relieved, but had told us that he doubted Dan Mayhew would be around. Still, I was glad that Vic was coming. As my older brother, I still see him as the undefeatable protecter he always was to me.

The cabin looked sweet in a quaint little way. Zed and I exchanged glances. "Tell Uriel we found it. " I told him. He took out his phone and dialled Uriel's number. Uriel's phone rang, but went straight to voicemail.

"Hello, this is Uriel Benedict. I'm unavailable right now, but please leave a message after the tone." Zed and I exchanged shrugs, and then closed the phone.

"Quick. If we are going to do this, we should do it quickly. I think he's around somewhere. Uriel says he saw something earlier. C'mon, Vic says he'll join us soon." We turned to the door. After examining it for a while, I brought my hand down on it, hard. The door was much less solid than I had thought it would be. I guessed that if you live in the middle of nowhere, in the woods, you don't need too much security.

I waved Zed back, and slammed my shoulder against the door. It buckled slightly, but didn't give. I continued crashing into the door, until it fell to the ground with a clatter. Walking into the small cabin, I craned my neck, in search of Violet. Nothing. There were no pictures in the cabin, no sign anyone spent most of their time there. And no Violet. I sighed and walked towards the door.

"She's not here. I told you she wouldn't be." My voice sounded brittle, broken with pain. I would never find her.

Zed sighed from across the room. "I guess so." He followed me towards the door, but tripped over a rug in the centre of the room. He cursed, annoyed. "Ow! Dammit. What is this stupid rug? It's ridiculous."  
I walked over to where he was sprawled. The rug he had tripped over was a dark blue, with rabbits embroidered on it. Not something that a guy who is willing to beat up a person years older than him for looking at his girlfriend, in a non-platonic way, would have. He had kicked it slightly, exposing the floor underneath. The wood was a much darker colour; the boards set a different way.

I spoke quietly, a controlled calm. "Zed, look." He glanced around, searching for what I was looking at. "At the floor idiot. It looks different from the rest." He followed my eyeline, and caught sight of the floor. In an unspoken connection, we both kneeled by the patch of wood. Digging our nails into the sides, we both tried to prise it up. After a long struggle, I managed to lift it, and passed it to Zed, who threw it to the side. We revealed a dark pit, down into the foundations of the cabin. I glanced at Zed, then flung my legs over the side. My foot caught on something, which I realised was a rung of a ladder set into the hole. I began my descent down, Zed above me. The ladder ended abruptly, and I found myself standing on a concrete floor. I moved out the way so Zed could get down. We stood in silence for a second, the shuffling of our feet low enough that the barely audible whimper was loud in the silence. I glanced over at where I thought Zed was. The movement next to me told me he was doing the same thing.

A little sob followed the whimper, and the sound pulled at my heart the way nothing else ever had.  
I spoke into the black. "Violet?"

…

There was a click, and a buzzing sound as the bare lightbulb above us flickered into life. It illuminated a bare, empty room. Apart from the huddled figure in the corner. Violet. She was sitting in a growing puddle of blood, seeping from her legs. In her hand she held a knife that she was holding so tightly her knuckles were white around it. Panic shot through my heart. What had she done?

"Violet! Violet, are you alright?"

She spoke at the same time as I did. "Will. Will, Will, Will. I'm so sorry. For everything." I ran forward, and knelt before her. How could she be saying sorry? I was the one that should have been sorry, for not coming to find her sooner. I reached out a shaking hand, and touched her leg, gently. I looked at the knife in her hand again. "Why would you do this to yourself?" I asked. She shook her head, unable to answer. I left it. She would tell me when she was ready.

She reached out and touched my face, her hands gentle, and her touch soft. I leant against her hand. I raised my hand, doing the same to her. Zed cleared his throat, impatient as always. I rolled my eyes, but bent and began to untie the ropes around her ankle and wrist. The skin underneath the bonds was red and stiffened, but I ignored her, desperate to free her. My gift screamed at me, telling me to get out, to leave.

A voice came from the other side of the room. "Don't move." Dan Mayhew.

I leapt to my feet, shielding her with my body. He wouldn't touch her. Zed was motionless, frozen. I stared at him, confused. Mayhew laughed. "Can't move Benedict? Don't worry, that's me." I frowned, confused. What? "Oh, come on. You didn't really think you were the only savants in Wrickenridge, did you? Really boys, I thought better of you. Who d'you think put those walls up in Violet's mind? It wasn't her, that's for sure," he said, laughing.

I swore internally. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it. But someone had. "Uriel. Uriel realised. He kept talking about it, but I thought…"

"Yes, your brother realised. He also guessed what I was capable of. He told you to go find the cabin, didn't he? He said he had something important to do. Shame really. Of course, no one can really blame him. No one can fight me." I bit my lip furiously. Uriel. Please let him be okay. It was obvious that the man that stood in front of me was a psychopath. Mayhew flashed a smile over his shoulder at Zed. It was a smile weighted in threat and venom. The danger in the room rose a few notches.

Mayhew looked back at me. "Move," he ordered. My body jerked out the way. It was a compulsion I had to obey, no matter how much I didn't want to. He walked over to Violet, and offered her a hand. She placed her tiny one in his, and he lifted her up. Before I could feel betrayed, she looked down at their hands, and an expression of disgust crossed her face. Wrenching her hand out of his, she fell back against the wall. I wanted to rush to her, but the power Mayhew was exercising over me held me where I was. She glanced at me, her fear evident on her stricken face. I frowned back at her, concerned. I wasn't that afraid though. Vic was on his way. He would save us.

Mayhew seemed to read my mind, as he told us, with a satisfied smirk, ""And don't worry nobody's going to come and save you. Me and Victor had a little run in earlier. My, you Benedicts are easy to get rid of. Tsk, tsk." My stomach dropped. Oh God. Vic. He has to be okay. He has to be. But no one was coming to rescue us now. We had to get out of here by ourselves.

"Now, I'm bored. Aren't you?" he asked us, face twisted grotesquely. "Lets get onto something fun."

The desperation to save Violet rose inside me. "Please, just let Violet go. We'll stay. Just let Violet go. Please." My voice cracked, showing my weakness. It was pointless. Mayhew was never going to let his puppets go.

"And where would the fun be in that? Besides, Violet's mine."

The outrage of that made me furious. Violet spoke with me, just as angry. "Never."  
"She's not yours. She never was," I told him. She wasn't anyone's. She was her own person.

"Really? Is she yours then? Shall we see? Why don't we ask her, huh Will?" He turned to Violet, and she cowered slightly, against the wall. "So Violet, who do you love? Me, the person who has been there every second of your life since we met, protecting you from you father, standing by you on those trips to Amsterdam, where you had to relieve you mother abandoning you? Or him, who hurt you. Who made you do this. Who left you broken. Who doesn't love you like he should. Like I do."

He pointed to me. I felt sick. Had I done that? Had he? I shook my head clearing it. No. Violet and I were perfect for each other, and I knew I had never hurt her. I would die before I did that. She was swaying, face screwed up in concentration.

Mayhew spoke again. "Now then Violet. Shall we make things a little more exciting? Why don't you make the person who has made you suffer, made you hurt, suffer back? Repay all that pain."

She began walking, swaying slightly. in little, tottering steps she made her way over to me. She stood in front of me. Gently she reached up and cradled my face in her hands, before pulling me into a hug. I pulled her tighter, inhaling her sweet scent. "Trust me," she breathed in my ear. She was clenching her hands, fiddling with something. What was she going to do? She stepped back, smiling at me. I stared into her eyes, searching. She stepped forward to hug me again. Her hands pressed against my chest, something in them poking me slightly, tearing at my shirt. She stepped back, her hand still touching my chest.

She looked at me, her head on one side. "Last words?" she asked me.

I frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You're clever, you'll figure it out," she told me. With little dancing movements, she skipped into the centre of the room, singing under her breath. "You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am ti-ta-ni-um." She was staring at my chest. Instinctively I reached up to touch it, glancing down. My shirt was ripped, blood smeared across the front. I looked down at her hand. It was red with blood. In her hand she was holding a knife, blood across the blade. Slowly I raised my eyes up to hers. She was smiling slightly, eyes warm and encouraging.

_"Last words?" she had asked.  
"You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am ti-ta-ni-um." Her hands red with blood. The same blood across the front of my shirt. "You're clever, you'll figure it out." The knife in her hand. Her knuckles white, skin taught across her clenched fist. "Last words."  
"You're clever, you'll figure it out." Hands red with blood, trickling down her wrist. "You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am ti-ta-ni-um." "Down. Fall."  
"You'll figure it out." "Fall down." Blood smeared across my shirt. The same blood as the blood on the knife. The knife she was holding in the palm of her hand. The knife she was holding by the blade. The knife she clenched her hand around, tight. She slid her hand down the front of my shirt. I reach up to touch my chest. I can't feel anything. There's no pain."Fall down." Fall down._

I dropped to my knees, and crumpled on the floor. I lay in a pool of blood in the corner. Her blood was everywhere. I lay still, trying not to breathe heavily. Zed let out a broken howl of pain. I lay still. I had to. "Bitch!" he spat at her. That annoyed me, but I couldn't blame him, not when he thought I was dead. I wanted to tell him it was okay, but I had to stay still. I could hear Violet moving over to Mayhew.

"Danny," She crooned.

"Violet," he said back. It was the softest I had heard him speak. "Good girl." I gritted my teeth. I had to lay still.

She giggled. It sounded nothing like my Violet. She sounded fake. "Thank you Danny. But really," she said, in a small voice. She was lisping slightly, in a little girl voice. There was a little shuffling sound, as she moved around. She whispered something that carried audibly in the quiet room. "Don't hurt my soulfinder."

A choked gasp. A thump. I strained my ears, unable to know what was happening. Was she hurt? Violet spoke again, in a dull muted voice. "I'm sorry Danny. But you should be too."

There was a skipping sound as Violet moved closer. I stiffened. A hand touched my back gently. Softly she told me, "you can get up now Will." Pulling myself up onto my knees, I pulled her into a kiss. Her hands threaded through my hair, pulling me closer. She kissed me back, before pulling away, and grinning at me sheepishly. I laughed softly. "Good ruse, sweetheart."

She beamed at me. "Good playing dead, love."  
I laughed louder. Her laugh was a beautiful melody, playing against my chest. I pulled back to examine her face. "But really baby, down, fall, titanium? What kind of clue is that?"

"An improvised one," she said, a smile playing on her lips. I stood, pulling her up with me. I glanced at Zed. He stood, a frown on his face, confusion plain.

"But…but you died. I saw the blood." I snorted. Violet held up her hand in explanation, the gash across her hand gaping. I caught it in mine, holding it to my chest. Gently I kissed it, thumb brushing it.

"Next time, love, don't hurt yourself like that." A frown played across her face.  
"Hopefully, there won't be a next time." Her gaze flickered to the motionless body of Dan Mayhew. Her shoulders pulled in on herself, and she hid slightly against my side. I pulled her around so she was facing me. Lifting her face, I looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry you had to kill him. I should have done it. Killing someone doesn't go away easily, and he was your boyfriend for a long time. I don't blame you for being upset. I'm sorry-"

She cut me off with a little smile, fragile, but a smile all the same. "Don't be. I thought I loved him, but it wasn't real. It was a fraction of what I feel for you. In the end, I was simply doing what he told me too. I was making the person that made me suffer, suffer back. The difference between him and you, is that if you had made me suffer ten times the amount he made me suffer, I would have hated myself every moment. With him, I was _glad_. I was glad, Will. I was happy he couldn't make me hurt anymore. I feel guilty, but only because I'm happy he's dead. I feel guilty because I murdered someone, and I am happy. Does that make me a bad person?" she asked me.

"No," I promised. "Never."

Zed walked over to us, and placed his hand on Violet's shoulder. "He was a bad person Violet. He hurt our brothers and if he had had his way, he would have hurt us and you. He tried to get you to kill Will. You simply did what we do. You stopped him from ever hurting someone again. _Be_ glad. He's gone." He smiled at her, squeezed my shoulder, and walked over to the other side of the room.

Violet looked at me with tears in her eyes. She smiled at me with a huge grin on her face. "He's gone Will. He'll never hurt me again."

"Never," I promised. She flung her arms around my neck and kissed me, hard. My arms came up around her waist. I spun her around fast, locked in our embrace. We slowed, and gently I set her down. She glanced up at me through her lashes, cheeks pink. Her hair was curling in spirals around her temples, static making it float up into the air. I looked down at her upturned face, and stroked it with my thumb. I held out my hand and she took it. Our fingers were intertwined, interlocked, and as far as I was concerned, they could stay like that forever.

**Well guys, this is nearly the end. I'm gonna write an epilogue though. Please review. Hope you liked it.**


	35. Chapter 35

Epilogue 

The paved streets of Amsterdam wound their way along the canal. The water was a blue grey in the pearly morning light. Hand in hand the boy and girl wandered along, shoulders brushing. The boy tugged lightly on the girl's hair, and she laughed lightly, tapping him on the arm. She pulled him to a halt and smiling teasingly up at him, leant against the low wall. He stepped forward, and placing his hands either side of her on the wall, stood over her, so his forehead was touching hers. He kissed her softly, tenderly, a promise. Looking her in the eye, he stroked her cheek. "I'm yours, Violet. Forever, if you'll have me."

She smiled. "I'm never going to let you go."

**Well, that's it. The end. Hope you all liked it. Okay. I am going to write another one. I thought I'd do Victor's next. Okally Dokally. I'm not sure what it's gonna be called, but keep a look out. Also, i do not like Twilight that much. Just getting that across. However, I like the idea of shapeshifting people, and imprinting. If I wrote a twilight story, would you all read it? Byeee.**


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